Transitions Between Good and Evil
by Persistence
Summary: Ichigo attended the Shinigami Academy along with Renji and Rukia, and after was placed in Squad 5 with captain Aizen. How will being close to the soon be traitor affect his judgment or will it?
1. Academy

**About this fic**: Completely AU with a few minor things that are canon. I have no planned pairing for this fic, if anyone wants to give me ideas I am open to any suggestions.

Special thanks to **Mint** for being super beta this weekend.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of the characters in this story and since I do not use OC's I won't be.

* * *

Rukia walked down the hallway of the Shinigami Academy not making eye contact with anyone as they stared at her. It was something she had gotten used to through the years and wasn't that bothered by it anymore.

She quickly made her way down to the training area and pulled the door open to see her only two friends sparring against each other. A soft smile spread across her face as she stepped inside and took a seat off to the side to watch Renji against Ichigo.

She watched as sweat poured off both of them and their haori opened slightly revealed their toned chests. It would be enough to drive any girl insane, even her if she hadn't known them for as long as she had.

She had grown up with Renji and had been close with him. She knew he could be hot-headed at times, especially when he found out she had been adopted by the Kuchiki family. During then he refused to talk to her, thinking she would become like everyone else. It was during that time she had felt alone in her life. Her adopted family had rarely talked to her or met with her. It was to be decided after she graduated, she would be placed in a division immediately.

It had been Ichigo who had snapped Renji out of his attitude towards Rukia and made him realize just because she was adopted by a noble family didn't mean she was a different person. She was still their friend and nothing was ever going to change that.

Neither of them met Ichigo until they arrived at the academy. He had never told them of how he had been chosen to come to the academy, only that he used to live in the 72nd district of the Rukongai. He rarely spoke of his life before coming to the academy and both of his friends assumed it had not been pleasant and neither of them asked. Over the years they had became close friends and helped each other improve on technique's the other had been poor at. Unfortunately for Ichigo lacked raietsu control when he first arrived and still did. It would often cause their instructors to get aggravated with him.

She smiled softly as she watched Ichigo knock Renji's sword away and forced him to yield. She could see the annoyance in his face for being beaten again by the orange haired boy. The two were the ultimate rivals, both trying to succeed over the other. Ichigo would always seem to come up on top. The only thing that neither of them could succeed in which she always gloated over was their lack of kido skill.

"That's now four to zero?" Ichigo mocked Renji who glared at him. Another thing she had noticed through the years was at how fast a fight would break out between her two friends. Occasionally she would get involved or be one on one against one of them, but the two always seemed to be going at it every day.

"Shut up." Renji sneered at him before he looked over at Rukia and wondered how long she had been sitting there.

"Let's see you do the same tomorrow. All the captains are supposed to be present." Rukia stated catching Ichigo's attention. He gave a small smile and saluted her.

There had been much tension over the past few weeks due to graduation. Many were hoping to be chosen by a captain to be in their division. Some, like Renji, had been practicing non-stop trying to work on different technique's to take down his opponents. There was nothing he wanted more than to show all the rich snobs that even a poor kid from the 78th district could get a seat without having money.

Others like Ichigo, which were few, were not worried. He was confident in his abilities and if he was given a seat he was given a seat. He was practically hoping for the 11th division where all the top fighters were. He couldn't think of anywhere else that could help him improve his fighting style. Of course he knew if he wanted to get into a division he had to learn kido better and control his raietsu. He doubted many captains would want to take the time to train him on that when majority of the students already knew how.

"Well I already know Renji's going to the 4th division." Ichigo smirked at his red haired friend who glared at him. Rukia only shook her head.

"I don't even know any healing technique's how could I end up there, idiot." Renji shot back with his fists to the side.

"No, you won't be picked to join them, I'll be putting you there." Ichigo told him and watched as Renji began to open his mouth to shoot back another snide remark.

"That's enough." Rukia told them and grabbed both of them by their ears. She swore they were worse than kids. Of course, they were left to her to discipline. She ignored their ramblings of 'let go' and 'damnit that hurts, midget!' and dragged them out of the training room. It was already late and they needed to get back to their rooms. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.

She glanced to the side as they walked next to her down the hallways. Something about being with them made her feel safe. No one dared to stare at her or call her 'the princess' as long as they were near. Both were well known around the academy and had no problems with challenging anyone who dared to harm one of their friends.

Tomorrow was going to be very scary, maybe not for them, but for her. She didn't know where they would end up. She didn't want to be separated from them, but at least they didn't have the same pressure as she did.

The Kuchiki family was expecting a lot from her and if she failed…well she didn't know if she could face Byakuya. The only time she had ever spoken to him was during their first meeting. He did not introduce himself or greet her in anyway, he simply told her to 'come', like she was a dog. He would not look or speak with her. When at the mansion she was to eat by herself, though she mostly ate with the servants just for company.

It was going to be scary for her. She prayed that she would be given a seat, but most of all, with one of her best friends.

* * *

Sorry for the short chapter, for some reason all my first chapters are short. They get longer as it goes on. I'll be exploring Ichigo's past later on. Also I changed Rukia after she was adopted, instead they made her finish at the academy before she goes into division (though it's already picked for her). And before anyone asks, no I won't be turning Ichigo into Momo with the Captain Aizen insanity, she will be in here and I'm leaving her as she was in the manga.

So, how was the chapter? Good, bad, or as Ulquiorra would say, trash.


	2. Exams

I've written out the entire story outline for TBGAE and actually I'm quite pleased with how this will turn out.

Ages: I have been searching every site and forum to try to get a rough idea how old Rukia and Renji are. The only thing that is given hint was when Rukia said she has lived 10 of Ichigo's lifetimes. So until I can find solid evidence how old she is, I'll just be using the Rukia is 150 in present Bleach (this story takes place 40 yrs before Bleach begins), so she is currently 110 with Renji and Ichigo slightly older than that. Please correct me if my math is wrong or if anyone can figure it out better, I found a timeline and it only made me more confused :(

Special thanks to: **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky, Mel72000, TealEyedBeing, ArrancarMaiden, lirica, Bikluf, RuByMoOn17,** and **CalypsoHatesEveryone**. Thank you so much for reviewing and telling me your thoughts, it helps inspire me to write (though I will anyways, but faster).

* * *

Hundreds of students gathered in the waiting room waiting for their name to be called. A few were going over some last minute practicing in zanjutsu, hakuda, hoho, and kido before their name was called. Nervousness swept through the air from almost every student.

"So how was it?"Ichigo asked Renji who had gotten done with his test just minutes ago. He waited with Rukia, Izuru, and Momo who was going over the different divisions they could end up in. Both were good friends with the three, though not as close, they had practiced together and tried to help each other improve. It was Renji who had introduced the two to Ichigo and Rukia after his mission with them and had gotten attacked by hollows years ago. They were able to fend them off until Captain Aizen and his lieutenant, Gin Ichimaru appeared and decimated the hollows.

"I don't know how I did. I know I did okay in all except for kido." Renji replied and the others could tell he was not lying by the burnt up edges of his uniform. Rukia shook her head not feeling sorry for him. Momo, Izuru, and herself had offered to help Renji and Ichigo in kido, the one department they were lacking in, but both said that they would wing it.

"I'm sure you did great. I can see you and Ichigo ending up in squad eleven since almost no one can touch either of you in zanjutsu and they don't really use kido in there. I hope Captain Aizen picks me to be in his division. I can learn so much from him." Momo sighed happily.

"I hope not, I like fighting, but from what I heard those guys fight each other non-stop and the captain is a psycho. He challenges his members when he thinks they are getting weak and no one can beat him." Ichigo protested. He didn't really care what division he ended up in as long as it wasn't one where a guy kept trying to challenge him every hour of the day. He had heard some good things about squad eight and that the captain was one of the oldest and was really laid back. He wouldn't have minded that one.

"What you're scared of a little competition?" Renji snorted at Ichigo who glared at him. Rukia sighed and stepped in between them. The last thing they needed was to be kicked out because they started a fight.

"Are there any captains there during the exam?" Izuru asked, helping Rukia break the two up.

"I didn't see any though I heard from the student who went before me say that they are there. The only one that I saw was Captain Commander Yamamoto." Renji replied, remember seeing the elder captain and how he felt nervous having to perform in front of the academy's founder and other professors that had taught at the school.

"Rukia, do you know if your brother is here?" Momo asked the black haired girl whose brother had made captain only a few years ago. It was at the same time the creepy captain of squad three made it, Gin Ichimaru. She didn't know what it was, but every time she saw the fox smile on Gin it frightened her slightly. She didn't know how Captain Aizen could have dealt with it through the years.

"I'm not sure. I don't really talk with Nii-sama unless he has requested me." Rukia answered sorrowfully. She often wondered why the Kuchiki clan had adopted her if they planned on ignoring her. She was not allowed to approach her brother, make eye contact, or speak without permission from him. She was instructed to maintain her best behavior and not bring dishonor to the Kuchiki name. She had been bothered by this, but no one else knew with the exception of Ichigo and Renji.

"Hinamori!" Momo's name was called over the intercom along with others. She gulped and looked at her friends.

"Good luck." They wished her before she nodded and smiled before going on her way.

"Almost your turns." Renji smirked at them feeling less nervous now that he was done and could watch them sweat it out. He felt slightly bad for Rukia who was biting her lip. He knew she had more pressure on her than anyone else in the room, if she didn't make it into an officer's seat who knows what the Kuchiki's would do. He was slightly surprised they were even letting her finish up at the academy instead of just placing her in a squad like all the other noble families.

"I bet I'll make higher officer than you." Ichigo goaded Renji who glared at him. The orange haired teen was not nervous what so ever and had a confident smirk on his face.

"If you even make it into a division. Momo, Izuru, and I have already impressed the captains by what we did on that mission with the hollows or did you forget." Renji shot back at him. He felt somewhat confident because of that incident that he wouldn't have a problem with getting into a division, or at least he hoped.

Ichigo ignored him not really caring. "So did gramps say anything to you after you were done?" Ichigo asked Renji whose eyes shot wide along with Rukia and Izuru.

"Don't refer to the Captain Commander as gramps!" Renji yelled at him before Izuru could open his mouth. Most likely due to shock that someone dare speak of the head captain that way.

"I swear Ichigo; this is the reason why no one is going to want you in their squad. You have to show respect to those who are older and hold a higher title than you. No one wants a brat that calls them nicknames or by their first name." Rukia told him ignoring Izuru's shocked expression that had yet to fade.

"Then I get moved a lot." Ichigo shrugged not caring. It was one thing he had learned in his life; don't trust others unless they have earned it. Once that trust is earned then that person is worthy of his respect. As far as he was concerned he would call the captains by their first name because all they ever did when he saw them visiting at the academy was watch them before leaving. There was only one captain who he respected above all else and that was Captain Unohana. She was there for him during the worst time of his life and helped him. He knew he would be forever grateful to her and that she would not tell anyone about his past. It was something he would rather forget than to be reminded of.

"Kira…Kuchiki…Kurosaki!" A voice rang out the three names and others that were to report for the exam. They waved bye to Renji and Momo who was coming back and hugged them. She had a pleasant smile on her face indicating that it went well.

* * *

Unseen to the students partaking in the exam were the captains that were seated in a disclosed location with the perfect view. Not all of them had arrived to watch thinking it was not worth their time, such as Soifon who arrived early and left saying that she doubted anyone at this young age was worthy of being in her division. The others that hadn't bothered were those from the sixth, ninth, tenth, and twelfth divisions. The others were separate from each other watching the students perform.

"Poor kid." Captain Kyoraku said with amusement as the one student slip while going against the artificial dummy they had to fight with. That would lower the student's marks, but he admired how the student got back up and continued fighting. He turned to his companion and fellow captain standing next to him. "So, anyone interesting?" He asked him.

"There are many exceptional students and I believed they have exceeded last year's exams. There are many I wish I could take into my division." Captain Ukitake replied with a soft smile as he gazed down at the next student who came out. He didn't know if he was going to be able to attend the exams due to his illness spurring up in the past week and leaving his lieutenant, Kaien Shiba in charge of the thirteenth division. Luckily the day before it had finally come to ease and Captain Unohana gave him clearance to leave the fourth division.

He always enjoyed watching the students perform and show off their skills they have obtained over the years in the academy. It was their time to shine and even though it is nerve racking having to perform in front of the Captain Commander and professors which probably caused a few slip ups that would be deducted from their score, he never held it against them or his decision of who he wanted in his squad. He wanted people that were kind and would look after each other and treat one another with the same respect they would treat a family member.

"What a bunch of wimps." Captain Kenpachi muttered after not being impressed with a lot of the students. He didn't care about how talented they were in kido or how fast they were, he wanted fighters that would fight to their death. So far all there had been were wimps that barely held their swords without dropping it.

"Don't worry, Kenny, after a few years they might be fun!" Yachiru said from his shoulder knowing what he was thinking. None of the other lieutenants had accompanied their captains to the exam with the exception of Yachiru, and no one was going to tell Kenpachi that she could not come in.

The next student up was Izuru Kira and he began against his artificial opponent. "So, this is another one?" Captain Ichimaru asked from beside Captain Aizen who smiled with a nod.

"Yes, this one along with Abarai and Hinamori will be beneficial to us." Aizen replied to his old lieutenant who was now a captain. He had already reserved a spot for those three specifically in his division. Momo already adored him making her easy to manipulate while Izuru was very humble and would be very obedient. The only one he was truly unsure about was Renji. He seemed more rebellious than the others even though his strength was higher than the others. If he proved to be a thorn in their plans he would simply dispose of him.

"I wonder if there will be any competition for them, other captains might be interested." Ichimaru suggested even though he knew Aizen would have his way. After planning for more than a hundred years and all the pieces being placed together, Aizen would not allow anything to disturb his plans. All the other captains respected him and deemed his kindness as a rival to Captain Ukitake's.

"I am sure there will be, but I am not worried." Aizen smiled as his bangs fell in front of his glasses.

The next student came out, a nervous Rukia Kuchiki who bowed in front of her old professors and the Captain Commander. She began her fight against the artificial dummy while the captains watched high above.

"So, she's going to be in your division I heard." Captain Kyoraku stated casually to the white haired captain next to him. He noticed his friend gave a sadden smile and nodded.

"Yes, Captain Kuchiki has already made arrangements for her to be in my division and not to give her a seat. It is a shame, while her skills are not as strong as some of the others; she has the potential to be an officer. I have no doubt if it wasn't arranged for her, she would make fifth seat in no time." Captain Ukitake replied sadly. The girl was certainly what he was looking for in his squad, loyalty, friendly, serious when needed, and was very gifted. Perhaps he would ask his lieutenant to help her get stronger and maybe change Byakuya's mind.

Rukia's test was over and she bowed once more to her superiors as she left the grounds. She had done exceptionally well in her professor's eyes, though she had room to improve in zanjutsu and hakuda, her kido was outstanding.

The next up was Ichigo Kurosaki who had caught everyone's attention. He didn't bow to anyone, only simply saluted them with a 'yo' before he began. It was during his match that the Captain Commander's eyes opened slightly to look at the young man. He did not speak during any of the matches or after to treat everyone at the same level. His expectations for everyone were not high with the exception of this young man. He expected great things from him.

Captain Unohana stood next to Kyoraku and Ukitake listening to their conversation and would sometimes give her opinions of the students. However, when Ichigo entered the floor her usual smile seemed to brighten and her eyes shined with pride. It was if a mother was watching her child graduate into adulthood after many years. He had grown so much since their first encounter she could hardly recognize the scared child that was introduced to her years ago.

Gin watched as Aizen's attention seemed to brighten when Kurosaki started fighting. He looked down at the young kid and didn't see anything special. Sure he was fighting impressively and was quite fast. Other than that, he didn't know what held Aizen's attention to the young boy. "He's interesting too?" Gin asked his old captain who only smiled in response.

Aizen watched as Ichigo sliced through the dummy before bringing up his hands to perform a kido attack. It wasn't powerful, but at least it didn't blow up in his face like with Abarai. "Quite." Aizen responded leaving the other captain in confusion.

They had done research on each of the students to see who would make good candidates for their squads and there was no information given on Ichigo Kurosaki with the exception of when he entered the academy and what district he came from. No parents written down or previous history. It was like he appeared at the academy one day out of the blue. Gin didn't understand what made this kid so special, but he wouldn't question Aizen's judgment.

"You know who found him and brought him to the academy originally?" Aizen asked Gin who frowned slightly and shook his head. "An old friend of ours before his exile. It is that reason why I believe there is something more to this boy than just strength. Why else would Urahara pick him over any other mongrels in the poor Rukongai district?" Aizen answered as Gin's smile returned as if it never left.

"Wouldn't he have graduated already if Urahara brought him to the academy back then?" Gin asked as he turned back to where Ichigo was fighting. So, the boy was interesting after all.

"That is what I plan to find out; he didn't attend till years after Urahara was exiled." Aizen answered with amusement as Ichigo finished, not bothering to bow in front of his professors like the other students. The boy was certainly arrogant and stubborn, the perfect combination he could use against him if under his control.

"Maybe he experimented on the boy, you know those from the twelfth love to see what makes people go tick." Gin suggested as the next student walked in. He found these matches to be very amusing and the only thing that could make it better was if he could challenge the inexperienced students just to see them faint.

"Perhaps." Aizen stated not caring about the rest of the students that were up. The other captains could have the rest that tried desperately to impress their teachers. There were only two things he looked for in the students and that was strength and obedience.

He smiled to himself as he thought of the new challenge that lay before him. Kurosaki would not openly trust him and he did not expect him to. A person like that had to earn it and if there was anything Aizen was an expert at was manipulating people's emotions to thinking he was their alley until it was too late. He looked forward to meeting Kurosaki and the others to begin his game of separating the pieces and putting them in order. If some broke along the way, they can always be replaced.

* * *

I tried to keep everyone in character, though for some reason I was having problems with Gin. When he's away from Aizen-sama he is easier to write. The next update might take a little longer due to this and next week and exam and report week, I hate writing papers and my university loves them.

How was the chapter? Good, bad, what am I reading?


	3. Breaking Apart

While looking over the outline for this story I realized I made no pairings , I'm sorry if anyone is disappointed and wanted romance, but just think of it this way, you don't have to see my lame awkward excuse of two people getting together. I actually do better with dark manipulative fics anyways.

Main Characters in the Story: **Ichigo, Aizen, Rukia, Renji**, and several others (Gin, Momo, etc) will be making an appearance here or there (no OC's though, I can't use them and they always end up dead).

Special Thanks to: **RuByMoOn17, ArrancarMaiden, Mel72000, Raymon, Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky, TealEyedBeing, juniperlei, person, Sayomi-hime, CalypsoHatesEveryone, aizenslover**, and **SakaSandora**! Thanks so much for reviewing the story and giving me more motivation to want to write the chapters faster (though sorry for the long wait, had exams, but they are done now!)

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Days passed by as everyone waited for their results. Panic was in the air for a few that knew that they had forgotten to perform a kido or demonstrate hakudo. They all remained in their quarters until the results were posted. Everyone was taking it easy now that all the stress was gone and they no longer had to use their skills for a few days. A few were exceptions, such as Momo, Izuru and Rukia who were forcing Renji to learn proper kido, especially after blowing himself up during the exams. Ichigo stood off in the training room watching for entertainment and trying to predict how long it took before Renji gave up.

"Come on, let's try it again," Momo insisted to Renji who was trying to perform kido once more without blowing up. He didn't feel it really mattered since the exams were over and he prayed that he was put into a division that didn't use kido.

"Put your hands more in front of you," Izuru instructed and demonstrated with his own. When Renji followed his instructions he nodded and Momo and Rukia moved far away in case there would be an explosion. "Hado number four, Byakurai!" Izuru yelled and lightening shot out from his finger and struck the wall.

Renji paled as he saw how easy it was for Izuru and gulped. He straightened up and held his hands in front of him like Izuru instructed. "Hado number four, Byakurai!" Renji shouted the same spell and lightening flew out of his finger and hit the wall. It wasn't as strong as Izuru's, but at least he didn't blow up.

"You owe me," Rukia nudged Ichigo who sighed. They had been taking bets on their red haired friend learning kido. Rukia said that he would learn it eventually where Ichigo betted that Renji would never learn it and eventually blow himself up. He crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned his head back against the wall. Now he had to buy her the limited edition Chappy in black she had been eyeing.

"It's here!" Someone was yelling in the hallway and suddenly the door slid open and a student they didn't recognize shouted to them. "It's here!" He yelled before he ran off leaving the others in confusion.

"What's here?" Rukia asked and turned to the others who shrugged. Maybe the student had a little too much sugar that morning.

"The results? Are they posted?" Momo gasped and looked at the others who had just come to the same conclusion. They scrambled out of the training room to find other students racing down the hallway.

"Hey." Renji grabbed one of the students before he could take off. "What is going on?" He demanded and the student began to struggle.

"The results are posted and they even are showing what division everyone is going into!" The student shouted before he broke free and raced down the hallway to catch up with the others.

Rukia felt her heart flutter when the student announced the divisions had been posted as well. She thought it would have taken longer for the captains to decide whom they would take but she guessed she was wrong. The nervousness she felt before the exams returned and she began to feel nauseous.

"What are you so worried about, you know you did fine." She felt Ichigo's hand on her shoulder and gave a small smile and nod. Rukia hoped beyond anything else that he and Renji were in her division. She needed them not only as friends that she knew but as support like she gave to the two of them.

"Thanks." She gave him a small smile before he frowned at her. She looked at him confused before she looked at the others and realized they had left.

"This is your fault, getting all emotional," Ichigo told her before he started down the way a hoard of students was going. Rukia narrowed her eyes at him. Ichigo could be a sweet, caring and protective friend while other times he was just a pain in the ass.

"How is it my fault they left without us?" Rukia shot back at him in annoyance. It was just like him to pick a fight right before they find out if they passed their exams and what division they were placed in. This was going to be their future and he didn't care.

Ichigo gave a small smile of satisfaction he wouldn't let her see. He knew how nervous and scared she was of seeing her results. It was one of the few times he had ever seen her so vulnerable and that wasn't like her. She always spoke her mind, unless in the presence of the Kuchiki's or in public, and knew if he riled her up it would make her stop acting so weak.

They found the crowd of students and spotted Renji pushing peoples' heads down to get a closer look at the exams. Unfortunately for him he did it to two girls who ended up kneeing him in the groin. "Are you alright, Renji?" Izuru asked as he helped the red head to his feet. He couldn't stand straight up and kept hunched over for a little while. He didn't have to see the score of the girl that kicked him, he knew she passed.

"Yes!" They heard Momo cheer as she made her way out of the crowd of students she had cut to find her name. She had a bright smile on her face and none of them had ever seen her so excited. "I passed but not only that; I was accepted into squad five with Captain Aizen!" Momo looked as if she was about to start jumping up and down from excitement. None of them were surprised she had gone into squad five, not only because it was the squad she favored but no one could touch her in kido.

"Did you see our names?" Rukia asked her and watched as Izuru helped Renji over to the scores now that others were moving out of the way. The red head still couldn't stand up well and kept a hand on his thigh.

"No, sorry, I forgot to look. I guess I got too excited after I saw where I was going," Momo apologized.

"It's okay, we can find out," she said to the other girl as she and Ichigo moved up to the board to see their results but before they could Renji had finally straightened up after seeing his results.

"You okay? It looks like you swallowed a fly," Ichigo commented to him as his friend's mouth was still hung open and stared blankly. The orange haired young man waved his hand in front of Renji's face and when that didn't work he looked down at Rukia. "You want to do the honors or me?" He asked her causing her to shrug.

"Go ahead; it'll wake him up faster," Rukia replied as she watched Ichigo smack Renji in the forehead with his palm. It startled the red head back into consciousness and caused him to hold his head.

"What the hell was that for?" Renji snarled forgetting for a second what he read.

"For acting like yourself, an idiot," Ichigo answered and Renji narrowed his eyes and looked as if he was ready for a fight. Rukia shook her head and stepped in-between the two before something started.

"How did you do?" Rukia finally asked her friend whose expression changed from one of annoyance to a proud smirk on his face.

"I passed and not only that but I made it into squad five," Renji replied proudly though he was still somewhat excited and confused. There were so many that doubted he could do anything just because he did not come from a noble family and thought he would flunk out. He showed all of them that they were wrong. Although, he was confused on how and why he was going to squad five who were pretty much experts in kido. Maybe it had been a typo, but it didn't matter as long as he was accepted somewhere.

He ignored whatever Ichigo had said after he told them where he was going. It was just some comment about being lucky though if he were in the same position he'd do the same. The two of them had always been like brothers that fought constantly but never really meant the things they said. They also shared one thing in common; they were protective of Rukia in their own way.

Ichigo and Rukia walked up to the board while Renji went to tell Momo that he would be in her squad and learned at the same time that Izuru had been accepted into squad five as well.

Rukia could feel her heartbeat faster as she approached the board with Ichigo next to her. She had her fingers crossed that she would be in squad five with the rest of them or at least have Ichigo be with her in whatever squad she ended up in. Panic started to take effect as she saw some names hadn't been accepted or passed their exams.

Ichigo skimmed through the names knowing if he found his he'd find Rukia's near it. Finally, he spotted his name and a grin appeared on his lips as he saw he passed until he saw what squad he had been accepted into and felt his mouth drop slightly open just like Renji's.

"Squad five? I can see Momo getting in since she's the best at kido, but I suck at kido!" Ichigo muttered and shook his head. This had to be a mistake, first Renji who blows himself up every time he even thinks an incantation and then him, who'd rather use his Zanpakto than to use demon's magic.

Rukia heard Ichigo say which squad he had been accepted into and felt her heart beat fasten – if possible – against her chest. Her eyes spotted her name and scrawled over to see she had passed and let out a sigh of relief. She knew she wouldn't be able to return to the Kuchiki manor if she hadn't passed. Her eyes wondered over to see if there was a squad number and felt her heart stop.

Squad thirteen.

She had heard it was a very good squad and very friendly, but it was missing her friends. All of them were going to be in the same squad without her. She bit her lip as she tried to hold her emotions in check. She had a feeling this would happen, her friends being torn away from her. They would be busy and soon they would probably stop talking to one another.

Ichigo's eyes wondered up to Rukia's name and saw where she had been placed before looking down at her. Her eyes were locked on the floor with her head down, refusing to look at anyone. "That's a good squad," Ichigo told her but she didn't respond and only turned her head away.

"What are you so down about? So we won't be able to see each other every day, it's not like we're all going to be separated forever." Ichigo attempted to get her to snap out of it when she finally raised her head slightly but her eyes were still cast off in the other direction.

"That's easy for you to say, you have Renji and the others in your squad. You're not being placed somewhere by yourself," she muttered quietly as she folded her arms across her chest.

"So we're just going in separate squads, that's all. It's not like we're never going to see each other again," Ichigo told her as they made their way over to Renji, Momo, and Izuru. They saw the sadden look on Rukia's face and instantly knew either she had not passed or was placed in a different division than them.

"What happened?" Renji asked Rukia who was still uneasy. They could tell her all they wanted that they were never going to forget each other, but things change. Knowing Ichigo and Renji, they'd be moving up the officer ladder quicker than Renji could smell food. She knew eventually one or the other would make captain, but she had hoped to be there with them when it happened. Now there was a good chance they'd stick together and forget about her.

"The stupid midget thinks we're going to abandon her because she is in squad thirteen," Ichigo replied for her and she narrowed her eyes at him.

"That's stupid; you think we're going to abandon you over that?" Renji stared down at her and she looked up at him. "Don't give me that look, if you couldn't get away from me when we were kids, do you really think you're going to get rid of me now," He told her with a stern voice. It was odd having their roles reversed; usually it was Rukia that would always snap him out of his depressed moods. Whenever he wasn't sure if he could pass his classes, she would always be there to give him strength to work harder and not let his own weakness consume him.

"But what if…" Rukia began to trail off when she was cut off by Ichigo who had finally had enough of this nonsense. He didn't know how many times he had to tell her but now was enough.

"You know what; we don't really care about your opinion so you can shut up. We're not going to abandon you just because you're in a different squad so keep all your stupid opinions to yourself because I'm sick of them," Ichigo told her causing her mouth to open.

"Don't even say it," Renji said before she could even try to protest. It was one thing he had hated about her being a Kuchiki. While she was still the strong-willed friend who used to help him steal food on the streets, she seemed less confident than before. Although there was more pressure with everyone looking at her as a noble than a regular peer.

"Why don't we go out to celebrate instead of standing around here?" Izuru suggested, as the hallway was almost empty of people. They all needed to relieve some stress of the exams and then the ever long wait to get their results.

**Sake Bar**

The five ex-students grabbed a table and sat in a circle as Izuru went to order them some drinks. Momo was still excited after finding out she was going to be in Captain Aizen's squad. "This is so exciting, I told Toshiro that I wanted to be in squad five and he said I probably wouldn't be picked for it," she told the others happily as she talked about her friend at home.

"I still think they made a mistake, I didn't blow up like him," Ichigo pointed at Renji. "But my kido is not nearly as good as the rest of you. Maybe we should ask whoever picked us for that squad," Ichigo stated not knowing who picked whom to go into what division. It was not explained during class and only a few people knew how it was done.

"I heard that the captains picked who they want in their squad," Momo replied, though she was still unsure; it could have been just a rumor. Still, she hoped that Captain Aizen would have chosen her on her abilities and not some random person who was shuffling students wherever.

"Then he made a mistake," Renji replied as he noticed someone walk through the door. She had long strawberry blond hair with a light mole on her chin. She was wearing the standard Shinigami uniform with the exception of a lieutenant's badge on her arm. However, he was sure no one was looking at any of that and were starring at her chest.

"Hey!" Rangiku seated herself on the barstool and started chatting with Izuru who was still waiting for their drinks.

"I better go help him." Momo sighed as she got up from her seat and went over by Izuru, leaving the three friends by themselves.

"Feel any better?" Renji asked Rukia, who only shrugged. She felt a slight bit better after they had pretty much pounded it into her head that they would all still remain friends.

"People get transferred from one division to another all the time, so even if we were in the same squad we could be separated still. Who knows, after they see how much we suck at kido we could be placed in your division," Ichigo said making her feel less anxious about being separated.

"Where did you hear that?" Renji asked slightly confused. All they had learned while at the academy was how to be a soul reaper; they never gave any information about what happened in them besides missions and what each squad's specialty was.

"I heard it from someone," Ichigo replied, dropping the subject. He didn't want to mention who told him knowing it would relate to his past and didn't feel like going into that, now or ever.

"Thanks." She smiled at the two of them feeling much more comfortable. "Can we meet here every weekend or every other weekend?" She asked them and they looked at her.

"Sure, as long as you don't ditch us for your new friends. I'm sure in a month she'll forget us and this entire emo-session of hers will have been for nothing." Ichigo teased and Renji chuckled at her.

Rukia smiled sweetly at them before they felt something hit them in the leg and both cried out in pain. She shook her head as they rubbed their leg and glared at her. They were glad she was back to her old self, but then again that also meant pain for them.

* * *

A/N: I have not assigned seats to anyone yet because they are not just going to start off high, they'll move up slowly except Rukia but every already knows why. Speaking of which, her character will not be all depressed, it's only for this chapter due to the fact she is going by herself to a squad while the rest of her friends are somewhere else.

Next Chapter: Meeting Captain Aizen – now the plot will finally go somewhere, I swear!

Please review and tell me whatcha think


	4. Introduction to Squad 5

Sorry for the late update, winter vacation was busier than I thought it would be and then I started my classes and pretty much…WTF! I don't think I have ever had a semester with SO many papers due, and it's not just one, it's ALL of them! I am so happy this is my last semester.

Special thanks to **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky****, person, ****Mel72000****, ****RuByMoOn17****, ****CalypsoHatesEveryone****, ****moonray9****, green-road, ****SakaSandora****, ****Serenityhimesheppard****, ****BeccaBaby****, ****Tango Dancer**, and **Yin7** for taking the time to review and tell me your thoughts on the fic so far, it is much appreciated!

* * *

All of the new recruits entered their division bright and early. Several former classmates were gathered around and chatting excitedly. This was it; they finally made it into a division and were awaiting their captain and lieutenant to appear. None of them were more nervous than Momo who had begun pacing back and forth in a small line between Renji and Izuru.

"Oh my god, we are finally going to see Captain Aizen and he is going to talk to us! I hope he isn't disappointed by me. What if he sees me and thinks he made a mistake and sends me off to another squad? I don't know if I can take it!" Momo practically screeched in panic at the thought of being thrown to another division. She had dreamed of nothing else, but getting into the fifth squad and she had finally made it. She didn't want her dream to get squished because she was a disappointment to the captain who had rescued them years before.

"Relax; we haven't even met them yet." Izuru tried to calm down his friend with little luck. Out of the four of them, she was the most nervous. He himself felt relaxed and calm that he was going to be in this squad and knew he would learn a lot. There had been nothing but good things said about Captain Aizen and at least it was better than what happened in the eleventh where it was rumored that the Captain tested their strength on the first day and got rid of the weaklings. He knew he wasn't weak, but the eleventh squad was defiantly not a place he wanted to end up at.

Renji and Ichigo looked relaxed as well. Neither had nervousness warped on their face or going into panic like Momo. Renji looked down before he finally grabbed the girl and stopped her from the pacing, it was getting annoying and a line had etched itself into the dirt.

"You'll be fine. Stop worrying." Renji told her and she bit her lip. She didn't know what to think. What if Captain Aizen walks past and pretends she doesn't exist? All that waiting, the charming smile that made her melt at night, all for nothing.

"Who cares what he thinks anyways." Ichigo muttered leaning against the white wall behind him that separated the fifth division from the rest of the Seireitei. In his opinion, Momo was getting worked up for nothing and was expecting that Captain Aizen would notice them right away. They had just gotten out of the academy and had to work their way up to be noticed.

"And this is why the teachers didn't like you." Renji whispered to himself, but it did not go unheard to Ichigo.

"I did better than you in all of our classes, if it wasn't for me you probably wouldn't have passed half of them." Ichigo gave a smug grin when he saw Renji clenched his hands into fists and walk up to the orange haired shinigami.

"Want to say that to my face?" Renji growled getting close and trying to intimidate Ichigo. Their heated session seemed to distract Momo who was now watching the two argue and Izuru who knew he would have to break it up soon. He really missed Rukia.

"I would if I could breathe through your disgusting breath!" Ichigo shot back and the two continue to glare at one another before Izuru stepped in between. He didn't know how the two would make it through the year without killing each other and would probably be frowned upon if they kept up this batter all the time. All it took was for one little comment and the two were at each other's throats.

"Shh, guys!" Momo squeaked and turned towards the doors that began to open leading into the main area of the fifth division. She didn't know if she was breathing anymore or if her heart had stopped. Everything seemed to freeze in time as the doors swung ever so slowly open and two figures stood behind with one obviously taller than the other.

The other three behind her watched as the two figures came into the light, one wearing a captain's haori over the standard shinigami uniform and the other wore a badge on the left arm. The one wearing the captain's haori was obviously Captain Aizen. He had unruly brown hair with bangs that covered over his dark framed glasses. A pleasant smile was on his handsome face which was also obvious when all the girls around them sighed. Next to him was a young man that was slightly shorter than Ichigo by an inch or two. He seemed to open his mouth, but no one was paying any attention.

"Good evening new recruits and welcome to the fifth squad. We will be going over the rules to-" The lieutenant began to say when Captain Aizen's hand motioned for him to stop. The young man looked up at his captain in confusion.

"No need to worry about those just yet. They just arrived and probably want to be settled in before we go over boring matters such as that." Captain Aizen replied to his lieutenant before he turned back to the new arrivals and gave them a nod.

He studied over many of them, most were useless rejects that had passed their exams and had no division that wanted them. Unfortunately, they got stuck in his squad, but there was always ways of cropping out the unwanted. His eyes scanned over many who smiled back at his fake smile hoping to please him. It was one of the benefits from being captain, everyone got on their hands and knees to please him. He would be kind and polite, but like all the rest, they were fools and mere pawns that he would dispose of later.

He turned to his lieutenant again, a foolish boy who was completely arrogant. He believed himself important now that he was of higher rank, but he was only there to replace Gin until he could find someone better to replacement. "Why don't you show them around and to their quarters?" He suggested to the boy who nodded quickly.

"Everyone follow me." His lieutenant ordered the recruits and many of them scrambled to follow after him. They would smile and nod their head to Aizen as they walked by and he would honor them by acknowledging their existence with a nod of his own. His eyes scanned the area and rested on the last four that were coming closer. Not all of the maggots were useless and he would find out how useful these ones were. After all, he handpicked them from the rest.

The girl was easy. Just looking at her and she blushed. She would be an easy one to manipulate and use for later. He didn't care if she was powerful or not, all that was important was that she was disposable. The blond was very timid and like the girl, would listen to orders without question. The red and orange haired teens he did not know much about. Both were very promising, though lacking in the kido department, but that could always be fixed. The latter interested him more than the former. He wanted to know why he was brought to the Seireitei by the ex-captain. Of course, if he had just found a street rat and took pity on him he would dump the boy somewhere else. He did not have time to waste on someone who was not worth it.

"There seems to be a lot for him to handle, why don't I take you on a personal tour myself." Captain Aizen suggested to the four as they approached him. The girl's eyes seemed to shine when he spoke and he could see her knees going weak.

"T-th-tha-" Momo began to stutter with the word never forming. Renji saved her the trouble and answered for her.

"That's fine." He replied and ignored the nasty look Momo shot him for answering. They would have been there all day and night just for her to finish the sentence and he was sure Aizen would have left by then.

"Come this way." The captain ushered them and they walked down the opposite hallway that the others had taken. The walls were painted light green with no other significance to them besides the windows that showed the court yard on the left.

"I'm Momo Hinamori." Momo introduced herself as she took a few steps faster than the others so she could walk next to him rather than behind. A small blush formed on her face when he looked down at her with that charming smile.

"I'm Izuru Kira, and this is Renji Abarai and Ichigo Kurosaki." Izuru introduced himself and the other two, knowing that Momo would try to take up his whole attention and partially did. It was amazing how she went from stuttering to getting up the courage to introduce herself to their captain.

"I would introduce myself, but I have a feeling you already know who I am. Tell me about yourselves since we will be seeing more of each other." Aizen requested as they exited the building and were heading over to another one. This was where they were to stay while in the division unless they went home to their family.

"Well I am from first Rukongai district." Momo began to explain about her grandmother and about her friends there, especially 'Shiro-chan' who she adores. Aizen nodded as if he was paying attention and allowed the young girl to speak her heart out and only listened for information that could be useful, though most of went unheard.

Aizen stopped her for a few minutes to explain the dormitories that could only occupy two hundred people. All seated officers from eighth on higher have a private room and those lower have to share one and those who are unranked share a room with fifteen other people. He told them not to worry, over the weekend they would be assessing each of their ranks and be placed accordingly. He flattered them, for those who bought it, by saying he was sure all of them would make seated officers.

Ichigo looked unimpressed or was just bored by the whole thing; Renji couldn't tell as they exited the building and walked to another smaller building next door. It was then that Izuru began to explain about his history, how his parents died when he was very young and then went to the academy. The red head had heard the story before and was paying somewhat attention. His mind was mostly focused on what Ichigo would say.

Since day one, Ichigo had been friendly to Renji and Rukia and set a nice rivalry that had helped the red head exceed. They had shared and done everything together. Ichigo knew of Renji's background because he had told it openly, but it was one thing that the other would refuse to talk about.

_It had been their second year at the academy and the three friends were sitting outside under a tree. Renji sat with his back pressed against the tree with his arms behind his head and his right leg crossed over the left. Rukia sat with her legs cross to the left of him and Ichigo was lying on the grass with his eyes partially closed. It was often people could fine them in this spot training, hanging out, or having their lunch._

_Their chatter filled the quiet space as Rukia gave a soft chuckle at Renji's embarrassment. "You should have seen it, we were running from the guy and he" pointing to Renji, "decides he is going to be brave and yells 'Fuck you' to the guy only to find he had caught up to him and grabbed him." Rukia shook her head. _

"_I didn't think he could run that fast." Renji said in his defense. _

"_We had to gang up on the guy just so he would let Renji go, and you know what he did?" Rukia asked Ichigo, who opened his right eye knowing she would answer for him. "He was crying!" She revealed and crossed her arms and looked at Renji as if daring him to deny it. _

"_It did not happen like that!" Renji practically shouted and sat up, bringing his arms to his side and both feet plastered on the ground. _

"_I can see it happening." Ichigo replied with a small smirk on his face just to annoy Renji. _

"_Shut up!" Renji barked and crossed his arms over his chest and looked away. _

"_Tell us a story from your childhood, Ichigo." Rukia tapped her friend on the shoulder who opened both his eyes and looked away. _

"_Nothing." he whispered and closed his eyes again, hoping they would drop it. Although he knew how persistent Rukia could be. _

"_Don't give us that crap, you heard one of our stories, let's hear one of yours." Renji shot at him, thinking his friend was just being stubborn. _

_Ichigo stayed silent for a minute or two going over his thoughts in his head. They would never understand the pain he went through and knew if he brought it up he would probably break down, again. _

"_I don't want to talk about it." Ichigo told them and hoped they understood, however, they both still thought he wasn't being serious. _

"_Come on." Rukia pushed again, but this time it caused Ichigo to get up from his spot. _

"_I don't want to talk about it!" He replied in a much sterner voice that neither had heard him use before. They knew at that instant he was being serious. They did not stop him as he walked away to cool off, knowing he would need the time alone and confront him later. _

They never learned about Ichigo's past since the teen refused to talk about it and would drop the conversation. It worried Renji and he knew Rukia was just as worried about their friend. They wanted to know what had happened in his life that was so terrible he refused to even acknowledge or share it with anyone. Neither of them pushed him on the topic and had hoped Ichigo would open up on the subject, but so far, nothing. He was sure his friend was going to snap at Captain Aizen and that is what worried Renji the most. He was afraid that the captain would throw Ichigo out of the squad for his attitude.

"And you, Abarai-kun?" Captain Aizen asked knocking Renji out of his train of thought. He hadn't realized that Izuru had finished and it was his turn. He rubbed the back of his head in thought.

"I grew up as an orphan in the 78th Rukongai district." Renji paused and waited for any look or sound of disgust from Captain Aizen, but none came. He was used to people looking down at him because of the poor area where he grew up. His fellow classmates and teachers always acted as if he was trash and would never be able to finish his time at the academy, but he showed them.

"I was with other orphans and we pretty much looked out for one another until I went to the academy to get a better life. I'll tell you right now, I suck at kido." Renji admitted though not knowing if this would affect Aizen's decision. After all, the man was bound to find out sooner or later and maybe would take it easier on him if he came out with the truth.

"That is why you are here to learn, Abarai-kun. Just because you have left the academy does not mean you have mastered everything. It takes time and hopefully I will be able to help each of you get stronger on your weaker points." Captain Aizen told the small group as he opened the door to his office. Momo was staring after him dreamingly, he was such a kind man while Izuru and Renji both held him with the same high regards as they did when they first met him, and Ichigo…thought he was full of shit. It seemed to the orange haired teen that the captain knew the right words to please people, but he was not buying it.

"I am usually in my office most of the day unless there is a meeting or other matters to attend to." Captain Aizen explained to all of them as they got a look around. It was a beautiful office. A dark wooden desk sat before a large open window that viewed the trees from the court yard and over looked the other buildings of the fifth division. Soft red drapes hung down from the ceiling on either side of the window. A large bookshelf with more books than any of them had ever seen was to the other side of the room with a white sofa facing before it. A long black table that sat six people was to the right of the desk with the same coloring in chairs.

"And Kurosaki-kun?" Captain Aizen asked and Renji looked out of the corner of his eye at his friend wondering what he was going to say.

"My past is none of your business." Ichigo muttered and received a kick in the shin from Momo. He yelped slightly and grabbed his leg.

"Where are your manners, don't talk to him like that. I apologize Captain Aizen!" Momo folded her hands together and brought them up to her chest.

"It is alright, if Kurosaki-kun does not wish to share his past that is up to him." Captain Aizen smiled pleasantly at the orange haired teen who wore his normal scowl, but was inwardly confused. He was expecting a little more of a reaction than that. Most of the adults had always scolded him whenever he gave any hint of an attitude.

"Thanks." Ichigo mumbled low. He still didn't trust the captain, but at least the man did not have a stick up his ass like some people.

"Now, let me show you the main area." Captain Aizen said as he led them out of his office and towards the other buildings.

**13****th**** Division**

Rukia sighed as she sat by herself against the wall furthest away from the other cadets. She had never been afraid of being by herself and had learned to ignore the comments other people made about her being a Kuchiki, but it still pained her. She wished her friends were with her, but she would have to wait a few more days until she got to see them again.

Their introduction to the division was slightly different. The captain did not show up nor did the lieutenant. Instead the fifth seat was there to show them around and explain all of the rules to each of them. They were told that Captain Ukitake had been admitted to the fourth division again today and would be out for a few days while the lieutenant was on his way and had not arrived yet.

She had tried to converse with her new peers, but many of them apparently knew her and laughed in her face. It was like being back in the academy all over again with the exception that Ichigo and Renji were not there to support her. She was on her own.

She watched the others talk amongst themselves and some were sparring. She felt a slight pinch of pain in her middle back from sitting against the hard surface and stood up. They were told to stay in the training area until the lieutenant got there, but the third seat did not say how long it would take him to get there. She thought it couldn't hurt to get another look around on her own and it would get her away from the others.

As she passed she could feel the stares burning into the side of her head, but ignored them. She slid the green door open and walked through with briefly closing it behind her.

"So glad she left."

"I know, she acts like she is so much better than us because she is a Kuchiki."

"I heard her exam at the academy was overlooked because they paid for her to pass."

"I hope she isn't on any missions with me, I don't want someone who knows nothing but money watching my back."

All the comments were loud enough for her to hear as she stood outside the door. Her eyes were cast to the wooden floor beneath her feet. She couldn't win no matter what. She could be friendly or act as stupid as the others and it wouldn't be good enough because she was adopted into a noble family. She was feeling more out of place than ever before. She wanted to rip open the door and run to the fifth division and be near her friends.

"Hey, you!" She heard a male voice shout at her and looked up surprised. Standing in front of her, she swore, was a tall male with black hair that looked almost identical to Ichigo if it wasn't for his hair being longer and slightly taller. She noticed on his arm was a lieutenant's badge and gulped. He finally arrived. "Yeah, you." he said as he approached her. "I thought I had ordered for everyone to stay in the training room." He looked down at her, making her feel slightly intimidated.

Immediately her mind was racing to remember the name of her lieutenant that the third seat had told them. She bit her lip as she tried to remember, but he introduced himself. "My name is Kaien Shiba, lieutenant of the thirteenth division." He said to her when he realized she looked uncomfortable.

"It's nice to meet you, Sir." She hesitated to say the words and sighed when they came out. She now wished she had not left the training room and had put up with the others comments.

"What?" Kaien bent down to make eye level with her and placed a hand on the top of her head. Her eyes widened slightly as she thought she had done something wrong. "That greeting sucks, tell me your name!" He practically yelled at her, but she could still hear the slight bit of friendliness in it.

"My-my name is Rukia Kuchiki, and it is a pleasure to meet you, Sir!" Rukia felt the hand on the top of her head loosen as she straightened up and gave her a friendly smile.

"That's better, now come on, I got to see what other mess was left for me to clean up." Kaien told Rukia as he opened the door behind her and shouted at the rest of the new arrivals.

Rukia stared after him stunned. No one had ever approached her like that since she had been adopted and it had startled her. He had the nerve to talk down and shout at her. She dropped her hands to her side after adjusting her hair and a smile appeared on her face for the first time that day. He treated her like she was a normal person. As the lieutenant, he had to know who everyone was and who the 'Kuchiki Princess' was and it didn't matter to him. She slowly made her way back into the training area and this time, she felt normal and might be able to enjoy squad thirteen.

* * *

Renji's right eye opened as he heard a noise that sounded like a whimper from behind him. He rolled over on his bunk and faced Ichigo who looked panicked in his sleep. Sweat was dripping from his head and spilling onto the pillow under his head while his hands were clenching the sheets. He was thrashing his head back and forth and Renji could tell from where he was laying, which startled him, Ichigo was shaking.

He sat up in his bed unsure if he should wake his friend. It looked as if he was having a nasty nightmare. After a quick decision, Renji swung his legs over the side of his bed and walked over to Ichigo's. He knew the other boy would probably punch or shout at him waking everyone else up being the hot head he sometimes could be.

"Tatsuki," Ichigo whimper which surprised and confused the red head. He had never heard his friend mention that name before or remembered anyone from the academy with that name. Renji watched his friend thrash around on his bed and began to ponder if he should ask who this Tatsuki was.

Renji sighed in frustration as he remembered what Rukia had told him. It was better for Ichigo to come to them than to pry into his life and find out information that he may not be ready to give. He muttered to himself before he grabbed Ichigo by the shoulder and began to shake him. The other teen did not wake instantly and it took another three to four shakes before he finally woke up.

"Renji? It's too early." Ichigo grumbled as he glared at his friend.

"No shit, you woke me up from all the moving around you did. Now either stay still or I'll tie you up outside." Renji threatened, though Ichigo was too tired to even care.

* * *

A/N: I changed some of the things around, like the third seat in squad 13 (can't remember their names, I'll look em up later) is an unknown person for right now, but it will go back into canon soon. Aizen's lieutenant is also unknown because he is not important hence I did not give him a name. I will also be slowly adding in hints about Ichigo's past until it is revealed.

**Please Read**: One of my other fic is coming to an end and it is the one I usually update more often than others so there will be a spot to fill this void. I have placed a poll inside my profile and you can vote if you want this fic to be updated more often or stay the same or you can leave it in a review if you don't want to vote.


	5. Hollowed Forest

Hope ya enjoy, not going into long note here cause there is a long one at the bottom.

BIG Special thanks to **Mel72000****, ****Master Solo****, ****animefreak1394****, ****Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky****, ****Yin7****, ****RuByMoOn17****, ****Julespyo****, ****TealEyedBeing****, ****CalypsoHatesEveryone****, ****yue asahi****, ****Ubernaut****, ****BeccaBaby****, shiro, ****HikaruOfArrow****, ****TsukiUchiha13**, and **SakaSandora** so much for reviewing!!! This was the biggest response I've ever gotten for a chapter and was happy to hear so many people are interested in this story. Everyone gets Ichi plushie!

* * *

"Guys," Momo rushed into Ichigo, Renji, Izuru, and several other people' room shouting. A happy expression filled her face even despite all the nasty looks she received from others still trying to get some shut eye. Ichigo groaned and placed a pillow over his head, damn morning people.

"The new positions have been posted!" Momo called and then stepped back as most of them raced out of the room to find out if they had advanced or stayed the same. When the coast was clear, she found only Ichigo, Izuru, and Renji still in the room, figuring she had looked up their positions.

"So, where are we?" Renji asked the black haired girl who shut the door behind her.

"As of right now you are looking at the new seventh seat!" Momo stated proudly. None of them were surprised, she excelled in kido better than anyone in the room.

"Were we on the sheet?" Izuru asked curiously as she sat down on one of the messy beds across from them, her smile never fading.

"You," She pointed to Izuru, "are the new ninth seat, Ichigo made twelfth, and Renji made thirteenth." She replied and had to hold back a laugh when Renji's mouth fell open. He hadn't expected to get a seat higher than seventeenth.

"Knew I would be higher than you," Ichigo shot at Renji, who narrowed his eyes at the other boy. He always was one step behind Ichigo, in the academy and now here. It didn't matter, he would pass him soon.

"By one spot," Renji argued with the orange haired shinigami who crossed his arms and had a smirk on his face. He just loved rubbing it into Renji's face, he knew this would mean his friend would want to train more and he had no problem with that.

"For now, I'm sure I'll be making lieutenant in no time." Ichigo said confidently and noticed Momo's smile had disappeared. "Of some other division, this is yours." He told Momo and watched as her smile appeared again. It wouldn't surprise any of them if she exceeded to the position of lieutenant in only a couple of years.

"Yeah, well I'll be making captain by the time you even make third seat." Renji shot back before Izuru intervened.

"I'm sure you'll both make lieutenant at the same time we all do." Izuru interrupted and they stopped their bickering.

"Yeah, but I'll be first." Renji muttered quietly and received a nasty glare from Ichigo and Momo, making him wish he never opened his mouth.

"Shut up," Ichigo got up from his bed and stretched slightly. He brown eyes stared straight for a moment before looking towards the window. "I wonder how Rukia did?" he mused to himself and Renji's eyes widened. He had forgotten that she would be getting her results today too. She was skilled enough to get an officer's seat, but it was more crucial for her than any of them.

"We'll have to ask her when we invite her out to celebrate tonight." Renji said with a smirk at the thought of getting drunk that night. He felt he deserved it.

"Sorry, but that will have to wait," Momo spoiled his thoughts, "we are also on the list to go on a small mission tonight. There have been reports of hollows in the forest and it is our job to clean them out the best we can." She told them before she got up from the bed to leave and allow them to get dressed. They would be leaving in a few hours.

**13****th**** Division**

Rukia stared impassively at the paper in her hands. On it were the new positions of the people who arrived that week. There were only a few changes amongst the division, but other than that it remained the same without her name. She had not earned an officer's seat.

She felt herself slide down the wall she had been leaning against and crumble to the ground. The paper was discarded from her hand and now lay beside her. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes to keep from crying. She didn't know how she was going to tell her brother that she failed the family and was not a ranked officer.

Her thoughts were interrupted as someone plopped down next to her, sitting on the paper in the process. "Why are you looking so sad? It's not the end of the world?" Kaien told her, but being from a noble family himself, he knew how harsh some could be. The Kuchiki's were very strict with their rules and honor. He felt bad for Rukia, but knew there was nothing he could do.

"How am I not good enough? I worked just as hard as the others and performed better than some of them, and I still failed." Rukia whispered to herself, trying to think of what she would say to Byakuya. She knew she would have to come out with the truth, but if he asked why, she wanted a reason to tell him.

"Listen Kuchiki, so you're not perfect on the first shot, nobody is. They will rank everyone again and you just got to make sure you're the best when that time comes." Kaien told her and watched as she turned her head to look at him. It wasn't the best answer, but hopefully encouraged her to get stronger. "And I'll help ya get stronger." He laughed before he slapped her on the back causing her to fall forward.

"Thanks," Rukia smiled at him when she sat back up. He smiled back at her before standing to his feet and pulling her up.

"Now, no more of this crap and get to work! I don't want people thinking I've gone soft!" Kaien ordered and Rukia nodded her head and bowed.

"Yes, lieutenant Shiba, Sir!" She shouted before leaving.

**Aizen's Office**

Aizen sat in his chair as he went over several documents placed on his desk. He had given his useless lieutenant all the paper work to do for the day and promised to help him later once he was done. At the moment he was going over the profiles that were kept on every person in the Soul Society. Even those worthless beings that would never amount to anything in the Rukongai districts were documented. Most were only filled with the person's name and minor details, those details would expand as soon as they entered the academy.

It showed all the test scores, behavior, family, relationships, and past history. He didn't bother with Momo, Izuru, or Renji because they were passive and would tell him anything he wanted to know in a heartbeat. The only ones he bothered to check were those in officer positions, if they were lower they wouldn't be a threat. The one he was currently looking over was Ichigo Kurosaki.

He narrowed his eyes as there was little information written about the boy. It showed when he entered and graduated from the academy, not the most upstanding student with some of the fights he had been in, but grades were decent nonetheless, who he usually hung around with, and that was it. It showed no family, not even one that might have adopted him like with Momo or where he came from. No other information was recorded about anyone looking for him or anything else.

Aizen placed an elbow on the desk and rested his fingers against his enclosed hand. He wondered if detail was left out or if there was another document on the boy that he missed. It didn't help the boy had closed himself off making things slightly more difficult. Ichigo was defiantly a new challenge he had not predicted upon and never would have considered if he hadn't found out from Tousen that the boy was linked to Urahara.

He leaned back in his plush chair and brought his arm to rest upon the desk of scattered papers. He knew he could not locate the blond and ask him, but perhaps the ex-captain had left some information by accident before he left. It was plausible. With his office being as large as it was, something had to be left. However, that fool Mayuri was now in charge and he couldn't walk in asking without bringing suspicion to himself.

His eyes cast down on the documents when a thought occurred to him, perhaps he should try looking up the boy's last name and see if there are any matches. If he was born in the Soul Society, then there had to be reference to another Kurosaki somewhere. It should be easy enough while he checked the data bases to find information on any else named Kurosaki.

The boy wasn't too crucial as long as he wasn't a potential threat. He was standoffish, rude, confident, and held a lot of potential. Even during the exam, Aizen could see it for himself there was still plenty of room for him to grow. Perhaps under the right tutorial he could achieve Bankai and rank fast if not faster than Gin. It was a possibility he was debating on, if the boy was worth it.

* * *

"Is she ever going to shut up?" Ichigo muttered to Renji as they walked down the dirt path with several other members from their squad. Ahead of them was Momo squawking about how she was so happy she had made seventh seat and her plans to move up higher until she was next to Captain Aizen.

"Eventually she will stop." Izuru, the newly assigned ninth seat, told Ichigo after overhearing the question. He knew eventually she would find something else to talk about, but it was just a matter of waiting.

"So, I heard they made a mistake and allowed red to be the thirteenth seat that was supposed to be my position." A voice from behind them caused Renji to stop and Ichigo and Izuru shortly after. A boy that was roughly the same height as Renji was the one who had spoken. His face was full as was the rest of his body with thick brown eyebrows and bowl cut hair style. Two others stood next to him snickering at the comment, but Renji's anger was aimed at the one who spoke first.

"What did you say?" Renji growled as he marched up to the guy, not remembering his name or where he ranked. He looked overconfident and for a moment Renji thought he was one of the top five officers.

"Geso, don't start anything." The fifth seat requested calmly and somewhat annoyed for having to go along on this mission. There were reports of hollows in the forest and it was their job to clean them out and call for backup if needed.

"This idiot doesn't even belong in our squad!" Geso shot at the shinigami in front of him, not bothering to listen to his superior officer. He was the fifteenth officer and knew he could have gone higher. He blamed the thirteenth and fourteenth officers for taking his position, which had disgraced his noble family by at least making the top thirteen or fourteen. In their eyes, fifteen was useless.

"Want me to prove it to you now?" the red head threatened as he reached for his Zanpakutou, but Izuru placed a hand on Renji's shoulder to stop him before he could draw it. He didn't want Renji to be kicked out of the division after just entering it.

"I'm sure there is some way we can settle this when we get back, now is not the best time." Izuru told the two, but neither seemed to listen to him. This Geso had insulted Renji and it wasn't like when Ichigo did because he knew his friend didn't mean it where this asshole did.

"I'll tear you up and leave you for the hollows." Geso said as he drew his sword when he felt a hand on his arm and looked over at Ichigo who did not look pleased that this guy had the nerve to threaten his friend. That was his job!

"Why don't you put that away before you get hurt." Ichigo growled at the guy. Like Renji, he disliked those from noble families that felt just because they had money they belonged higher up than everyone else. He knew Renji could take care of himself and didn't need defending, but like Izuru said, this was not the best place for it.

"Why don't you stay out of this, you orange haired freak" Geso told Ichigo who narrowed his eyes and for once remained quiet. It was not because he was insulted by the remark, but it reminded him of an event he'd rather forget.

_A young Ichigo cried as a man pulled him by his hair before throwing him down into the dirt. His rags for clothes were ripped and dirty and he had small cuts and bruises over his tiny form. At the time, he could be no older than ten years old. _

_The large man blocked his view of the sun with his dark figure and pulled something from his pocket. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw a knife click open and held in the man's hand. "I'll show you, ya orange haired freak to try and steal from me." He said venomously as he took a step forward causing Ichigo to crawl backwards away from the man. People around them ignored the scene and went on with the lives. He felt himself gulp and shut his eyes when his back hit a wall. There was nowhere to escape. If he tried to get up and run, the man would catch him before he even had a chance. He felt tears well up in his eyes as he shut them and wished his mother was here. _

"_ICHIGO!" he heard a voice before the man began shouting. He opened his eyes and saw a girl with short black hair had jumped onto the man's back and was holding her hands over his eyes to distract him. "Run, idiot!" She yelled at him and he nodded before getting to his feet. He took off as fast as he could. _

_He stopped after five minutes to catch his breath in a dark alley where he was out of sight. He leaned against the wall until he heard a noise next to him and saw the girl had caught up with him. She gave him a small smile before smacking him in the head. "I told you to be careful! You can't get caught or they'll kill you!" She scolded him and watched as he sunk down to the ground. He brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around him. This was still all new to him. _

"_I'm sorry, Tatsuki." He whispered and buried his head into his knees. He felt an arm wrap around his shoulders and the girl pull him into a small hug. _

"_Just be careful next time, I can't be saving you all the time." She told him. _

Ichigo narrowed his eyes further and reached behind him for Zangetsu when they heard shouting from ahead of them. They all turned, ignoring the short fight and heard a high-pitch screech coming from the trees.

"The hollows, they are here!" The fourth seat officer yelled and immediately everyone drew their Zanpakutous and readied themselves for the fight. Soon enough, three hollows flew through the air and aimed at some of the shinigami that were around. They were not strong hollows and most likely had been just created.

Everyone spread out with the exception of a few who stayed close in a small group to defend themselves. Renji and Ichigo stood back to back with their Zanpakutous drawn in front of them. Renji eyed one hollow that was flying through the branches and swung his sword at it when the creature flew at him and was about ready to strike. Immediately, it started to disappear before it reached the ground.

Ichigo ran forward at a hollow that came at him, its mask was the shape of a deer with a skinny body. It aimed its claws at him and tried to swipe, but he cut its arm off causing it to shriek in pain. With the small distraction, he cut the hollow's mask in half and turned to see Renji fighting a larger hollow and decided to help.

Momo had one hand over the hilt of her sword as she gazed around. She had never seen this many hollows before, even while on a few basic missions at the academy when they had been overwhelmed. She didn't understand how they had all gotten this far and knew they couldn't go any further. She placed her hands in front of her and locked onto a hollow that was going to attack a fellow officer while they had their back turned.

"Hadō 33 Shakkahō" She yelled and a bright red flame shot from her hands at the hollow. It never got a chance to attack and the other shinigami had just defeated the hollow and turned to see the approaching hollow be destroyed. He smiled and waved thanks to her before rushing off to find another hollow.

Izuru leaned a hand against a tree to catch his breath. He had counted five hollow he had killed and it was frightening that they were still coming. He heard a scream to his right and turned to see a hollow had gotten the upper hand on a weaker shinigami and was now devouring her. Cold rushed through his body as the hollow finished her off before trying to find another decent meal to devour. He raised his Zanpakutou up and charged at the hollow, he refused to allow another to be eaten by this monster.

Momo sliced through a hollow after a small fight. A stream of blood ran down her arm where the hollow had cut her with its claws. She heard yelling and turned in the direction and saw the guy she had saved earlier be stabbed through the chest before the tentacles from the hollow struck four more, one going through his heart. She felt her stomach clench as she saw him fall to the ground. She had saved his life and it had all been for nothing. He was going to die no matter what. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes for her fallen comrade.

"Go!" A voice called from behind Momo and she turned to see the fifth seat officer running in her direction. Her eyes widened slightly as others began following him and the earth shook underneath all of them. "Retreat now! Help is on the way! Get out now, there is a Gillian!" The officer instructed and almost immediately everyone started running for their lives. The mission had gone wrong. They were told only a few weak hollow had broken in that even academy students could have dealt with them.

Momo stared dumbfounded at the fallen shinigami. They were just going to leave his body? What about his family or friends? Didn't they deserve to put him to rest their own way and not be left for the hollows. It was not fair, they couldn't do this!

She bit her lip and was about to take a step forward, ignoring everyone else, when Ichigo grabbed her arm. "Come on," He pulled her and started running to catch up to Renji. She knew she could run faster if she wanted to, but her heart was not in it. Images of the person she had saved flashed through her mind as he was cut down like he was nothing.

Momo felt something tug against her foot before she fell forward. The loud screeching noise was right behind her, but she couldn't see anything. She tried to disentangle her foot, but as soon as she moved it she cried out in pain.

"Didn't I just tell you to…crap." Ichigo grumbled as he helped her, but lost his balance when the ground shook again. He could hear Renji shouting at him to hurry and got back on his knees to cut the twig that was looped around her foot. The Gillian's cry got louder until the trees parted and it showed its massive form. Momo felt panic rise in her as she tried to scoot back, but was unable to until Ichigo freed her foot. She tried to stand, but the pain shot through it once more and she couldn't move.

"It's going to fire a cero!" They heard someone shout and Ichigo turned his head to look up at the large white mask that parted its mouth and began charging to fire. He cursed silently as he got to his feet and held Zangetsu to his side. There was no way they could evade it, even if they ran they would be burned from the blast, especially with Momo injured.

Tears were streaming down Momo's face as she realized that this could be the end. She had finally accomplished her goal in life and now she would never be able to enjoy it. She would never get to say good-bye to her grandmother or Shiro-chan. She shook as the cero was fired in their direction.

Ichigo held Zangetsu in front of him to brace against the impact. He had tried this technique once before with Rukia and a few kido attacks, they worked, and now he was praying it would work with a much bigger attack. The blast hit his sword and he felt himself being pushed back. He knew he couldn't allow the blast to get past him and kill them both.

With a yell Ichigo pushed all his strength into sending the cero back at the Gillian. With all of his effort, he shoved the sword towards the large hollow and sent the cero back, cutting the Gillian through the middle. It cried out in surprise after not expecting its own attack to come back at it. It took a few steps back before a black rip appeared behind it and began to retreat.

Ichigo fell forward, only bracing himself with Zangetsu as sweat poured down his face and damp hair. He fell down onto his knees, his hand never leaving the hilt of his Zanpakutou from his clenched fist. He didn't even notice the other hollows being cut in half until he felt Renji's hand on his shoulder.

"Show off." Renji muttered friendly as he bent down in front of his exhausted friend. Izuru and several others rushed to Momo's aid to check on her.

"Whatever" Ichigo sighed and leaned his head against Zangetsu and thanked the old man for his help.

"That was quite impressive." They heard and looked up to see the eighth captain, Shunsui Kyōraku, walking towards them with a pleasant smile on his face.

"It was one Gillian, I could have killed it." The eleventh captain, Kenpachi Zaraki spat as he finished off the last hollow, feeling fairly bored. This was not a challenge, these wimps just couldn't take it.

"For someone that had just gotten out of the academy, I'd say it is." Captain Kyōraku continued as if Kenpachi had never spoken.

"How about a challenge with me and we'll see if he's impressive or not." Kenpachi grinned down at Ichigo, who backed away slightly. The stories he had heard about this man made him wish to never meet him, and now that he had, he could honestly say that he could believe every one of them.

"Renji," Ichigo whispered to his friend who looked at him. "If I ever get transferred into the eleventh division, please kill me before he does."

**Aizen's Office**

"You sent the hollows?" Aizen asked in the private backroom in his office that nobody except Gin, Tousen, and himself. Gin stood in the doorway with his ever present grin on his face.

"Yep, it was fun watchin' all of them fight. Ya got three causalities and the little girl that has a crush on ya got injured." Gin reported as if it was nothing.

"And the others," Aizen asked, not bothering to look up from his documents.

"The blond and red heads survived. The orange haired one held off the Gillian. Ya might wanna keep yer eye on him, Kenpachi and Shunsui seemed a bit interested in him." Gin replied as he turned to leave, shutting the door behind him.

"Interesting."

* * *

the ranks they are at now are temporary and they will eventually move up. I didn't want to start them off right away with making lieutenant or third seat, especially after Hitsugaya's comment about how Momo had to really work hard to get to her position.

Thank you for reading and please review! Oh and the poll is still going and will close at the end of the month. At the moment this fic is in third place.


	6. The Deal

Special thanks to **Mel72000****, ****Godzilla00****, ****Grinja****, ****HikaruOfArrow****, ****Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky****, ****Yin7****, ****CalypsoHatesEveryone****, ****TealEyedBeing****, ****Serenityhimesheppard****, ****BeccaBaby****, ****RuByMoOn17****, ****TsukiUchiha13****, **(we shall see **:), ****juniperlei****, ****CamulaHikari****, ****GrimmIchiYaoiIsHot****, and ****SakaSandora** for reviewing!!!! It is my goal next to time respond to the reviews, been very lazy (as always -_- ).

* * *

"Eh not bad Kuchiki, but your swing needs to be more forceful." Kaien Shiba explained to the young girl he was training. At the moment all of the others in the division were practicing outside or were huddled around Captain Ukitake's office since he arrived back from the fourth division. It was the best possible time to train and help her improve on her skills.

Truthfully, she wasn't bad at all and it surprised him that she did not receive an officer's seat with the skill she possessed. He would defiantly rank her within the top fifteen. Her kido was not bad and it basically her zanjutsu that needed work. He watched her huff as sweat ran down her face, but she refused to drop her Zanpakutou. It was this kind of determination that he admired and reason why he agreed to help her.

"You want to take a break, Kuchiki?" Kaien asked her, but she wiped her forehead and shook her head 'no'. She couldn't stop and needed to absorb everything she could. In two days she would be returning home to tell Byakuya the news and wanted to distract herself before the time came. She wondered if he already knew about her not making rank.

"I'll be fine, let's keep going." Rukia told him as the side door opened and a woman stepped through. Kaien lowered his Zanpakutou and a grin spread across his face when he saw the woman. She was taller than Rukia (like everyone else) with braided black hair pulled away from her beautiful face. The shorter girl turned to look at her lieutenant whose eyes seemed to have lit up.

"Beating on the poor new arrivals now?" The woman asked with a smile and Kaien chuckled as he approached her. Rukia felt her face flush and turned away when she saw the two kiss and hold hands.

"Why not, it's fun." Kaien teased and the woman shook her head. She walked over to Rukia and held out her hand.

"My name is Miyako Shiba; I am the third seat of the thirteenth division." She introduced herself and Rukia felt lost at words. Was this Kaien's sister? No that couldn't be, she didn't know anyone who kissed their sister like that! So, that left one other option: his girlfriend or wife.

"You going to answer or stare at her," Kaien placed a hand on top of Rukia's head causing the shorter girl to glare at him. It reminded her so much of Ichigo and Renji who always did that to try to intimidate her. Of course she had no problem putting them in their place, but she didn't think she would get away with that with her lieutenant.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki, it is nice to meet you," Rukia bowed slightly, face still feeling flush.

"So what brings you here? Thought you were going to be helping Captain Ukitake get settled in." Kaien asked his wife and turned his head slightly as Rukia went back to practicing by herself. She kept her back towards them to act like she was not listening to their conversation.

"I did. I went to escort the captain back from the fourth division when others were being rushed in. I guess there was a mission in the forest and they sent the officers from the fifth division," Rukia stopped practicing and turned her head to listen, "and it was terrible. There are quite a few that were injured and some were killed." Miyoka stated and both she and Kaien turned to look at Rukia who had dropped her Zanpakutou.

"Who, what happened?" Rukia stuttered as she whirled around and approached the two officers. She felt panic rush through her chest at the thought of her friends being hurt. She knew they had to have made rank and had to have been on the mission.

"I am afraid I do not know all the details except Captain Kenpachi and Kyōraku had to rescue them. I don't know any of the people who were injured or killed. At the moment they are being kept in the fourth division." Miyako replied and watched as Rukia turned and darted for the door.

Before she could reach it, Kaien appeared and stopped Rukia. "Where are you going, I did not give you permission to leave yet." Kaien told her and noticed a fierce determination in her eyes that he had never seen in the few days he had known her.

"My friends are from the fifth division, I have to make sure they are okay. I don't care if you kick me out or tell my brother, I am going to see if they are okay!" Rukia shot at him and Kaien took a step back. He didn't know about her friends otherwise he wouldn't have been so surprised. He knew he was going to have to make sure the others in the thirteenth division don't find out about what happened to the fifth or all would be racing over to get the details.

"Take as long as you need, Kuchiki." Kaien told her, in a serious voice for once. She stared at him for a moment before racing off down the hallway. He turned back to Miyako who gave him a sad smile.

**Fourth Division**

Ichigo glared at the poor fourth division member would was left to check him over. He told them he was fine, but they insisted he still needed to be looked over. The short boy gulped before he moved forward keeping his head down not to look at Ichigo.

"Ugh, sir, I just…need…to" The fourth division member mumbled feeling very intimidated. It also didn't help that Ichigo insisted that Zangetsu be kept at his side. Just the sight of the enormous sword alone was enough to scare the poor kid.

"Kurosaki-san, what have I told you about scowling and intimidating my officers?" A feminine voice said from the door and both looked over to see the smiling face of Captain Unohana. "If you want, I will check him over." She told the boy who nodded happily and ran off.

The scowl on Ichigo's face did not waver and he looked to the side as she approached him. "I heard about what happened in the forest, it was very brave of you to risk your life to save Hiramori-san." Unohana commented as she turned Ichigo face to the side to check his eyes. She noticed his gaze wandered to the floor as if deep in thought. She saw pain in his eyes that he refused to express.

"It's not enough," Ichigo murmured quietly, but Captain Unohana heard it. She was very concerned about him. He kept his feelings to himself and she knew there was more, but he refused to share it with anyone. She thought by him attending the academy it would help open him up a bit. It did in some way, he was no longer the scared child she met years ago, but he still kept his pain bottled up.

"You look perfectly healthy, Kurosaki-san." Captain Unohana announced as she finished her check-up and Ichigo hopped off the table. He was about to leave when he felt a small pull on his arm. He turned to look at Captain Unohana whose hand rested on it. "If you need to talk to someone about anything, you know I will listen and not tell anyone." She promised him, but he never got to answer because the lieutenant of the fifth division entered the room.

"Kurosaki, Captain Aizen wants to see you immediately!" The lieutenant said in a firm voice. Ichigo left without a word to Captain Unohana who sighed and shook her head with worry. Whatever that boy was holding back was going to destroy him one day if he didn't let it out. She thought perhaps Captain Aizen could help open him up. He seemed to have a way with people.

Ichigo and the lieutenant passed by a few others rooms until he spotted Momo lying in a bed with her foot elevated and Izuru and Renji on either side of her. Renji rolled his eyes as soon as he saw his friend and turned back to the girl in front of him. Ever since they had gotten back, all everyone was talking about was how strong and powerful Ichigo was. He knew he should be happy for his friend, but at the moment he felt more envy then anything. He worked his whole life to get people to notice him and not think he was a meaningless Rukongai brat that got lucky enough to attend the academy. It hadn't been a week and already Ichigo was famous and he wished he was in his position.

"You okay?" Ichigo asked Momo who nodded silently. She looked depressed, but the members of the fourth division said it was just shock from seeing someone die in front of her and coming close to death. It is always hard for everyone to see their comrades die and it takes a while for them to get over.

"Come on, Captain Aizen is waiting!" The lieutenant pulled Ichigo away and towards the door.

"Thank you, Ichigo." He heard Momo say before they were out of sight.

A healer came into the room and looked over Momo's foot one more time. They had placed a healing kido to relieve the pain and to start repairing any damage done to her ankle. She had a small fracture and was to stay off of it for a few days until the kido is done healing her completely.

"I am so useless, I couldn't even save him." Momo whispered when the healer left. Both Izuru and Renji looked at her with a sad expression. No one blamed her for what happened and they all knew she tried her best to save the other shinigami. The whole way to the fourth division she cried thinking she would be kicked out for not saving him.

"You did what you could do. No one was prepared." Izuru told her and saw her eyes becoming watery again. She didn't know if she was going to be able to sleep or if all she would see was the dead shinigami.

"Are they here? Where are they?" They heard a familiar female voice ask frantically before she was pointed to the appropriate room. Rukia walked into the room and felt a sigh of relief when she saw Momo, Izuru, and Renji, but as she looked around the room she realized Ichigo was missing.

"Where is Ichigo?" She asked, feeling her heart pound against her chest. She had always made jokes with Renji on Ichigo was too brash and it was going to get him killed. Now she feared that they had been right.

"He's fine, the show off went to see Captain Aizen." Renji muttered as Rukia sighed in relief. She walked forward and sat on the edge of Momo's bed.

"What happened? The only thing I was told was you guys went on a mission and things went downhill from there." Rukia asked and the only one who volunteered with Izuru. He explained how they were given a short notice to eliminate a bunch of weak hollows that had invaded the forest. It was supposed to be easy, but the reports had been wrong and the hollows were much stronger. He left out about the shinigami that were killed, not wanting to upset Momo, and went on to talk about the Menos Grande that Ichigo had repelled.

"How?" was all Rukia could ask, not believing that Ichigo was able to drive a Menos Grande back.

"You know that move he had you practice with him using the kido. Well, it worked." Renji answered, keeping his head to the side. He didn't want to see another awed face; he'd seen and heard enough of it on the way home. Renji could fool some people, but never in a million years could he fool Rukia. She caught onto his tone immediately and knew something was bugging him.

"So, I guess you guys are all seated officers then?" Rukia asked them though already knowing the answer. She knew eventually she would have to tell them about what happened and decided it was now or never. Hopefully, it would also distract them from the recent events for a short while.

"I made thirteenth, Izuru is ninth, Momo is seventh, and Ichigo is twelfth. What did you get?" Renji asked her and knew it couldn't be good when she bowed her head.

"I didn't make a seat." She replied and turned her head away. Renji frowned knowing it had to be a mistake. She was better than him in many subjects, not just kido, and could have sworn she would have been higher than him. He got up from his chair and hugged her.

**Fifth Division**

"You had better show Captain Aizen some respect. I've heard about how rude you were to him when he asked you about yourself. If he asks a question you answer it, do you understand me?" The lieutenant ordered to Ichigo who rolled his eyes. This guy was incredibly annoying and he didn't give a damn if he was the lieutenant or not.

"No, why don't you repeat it another fifty times." Ichigo said sarcastically and received a nasty glare from the lieutenant.

"Others might be impressed with you, but I am not. You are nothing but a bug compare to me" the lieutenant said with a smirk and didn't notice Ichigo's hand going into a fist. He was getting really tired of this guy and if he didn't shut up soon, he would be hitting the floor in a second.

A knock at the door signal Aizen that his lieutenant had retrieved Ichigo from the fourth division. He had already been given the status report about the rest of the people who went and this opened up some seats that needed to be filled.

The door opened and his lieutenant bowed to Captain Aizen. He made a small glare at Ichigo who walked by him and casual sat down in front of the captain. It was the most disrespect he had seen any shinigami show to their captain, especially when Ichigo leaned back in the chair acting as if he was going to chat with his friends. He had a feeling the brat was doing it on purpose. With one last glare at the younger shinigami, he shut the door in silence.

"It is good to see you are safe, Kurosaki-kun. I must apologize to you as I will to the rest of the squad for not coming with. If I had known the strength of the hollows I would have never sent any of you." Aizen began and noticed Ichigo looked bored and began tapping his fingers lightly against the arm of the chair.

"I was told about how you drew back the Menos Grande and I am most impressed." Aizen complimented and saw Ichigo rolls his eyes. Apparently the boy was not after praise and didn't care if he received it or not like some of the others. "Because of this accomplishment, we will be moving up your seat to eighth." This caught the boy's attention and he seemed a little more interested.

"I get to move up because I drew back the hollow? Why? I'm still not that strong." Ichigo muttered. He was still somewhat lost in thought since he arrived at the fourth division. Seeing Captain Unohana again brought up memories of years ago that haunted him every night. He knew it wasn't her fault and he was still very grateful towards her, but he didn't feel comfortable talking to her.

Everyone seemed to think he was so strong except himself. He drew back the hollow, he didn't kill it. Though it may not have harmed any shinigami at the moment it could still come back and kill others later. He scolded himself for being so weak. It was why he went to the academy to get stronger, to prevent the past from happening again. He shut his eyes as pain swept through his chest. It didn't matter, it seemed like no matter how many times he tried to prevent things they always happened no matter what.

Aizen watched the boy noticing his facial expressions change. Though he hadn't seen the boy that many times, he could tell his weakness was plaguing him at that very moment. The comment Ichigo made he found very interesting. So the boy didn't believe he was strong? He smirked inwardly knowing already how to work t this into his favor.

"Killing a Menos Grande is very hard, even for some of the highest officers. The fact you just got out of the academy and were able to repel the Menos is a great accomplishment. I could tell from the first day I saw you that you held a lot of potential." Aizen stated and Ichigo looked up at him.

"We do not become stronger over night, it takes time and practice. The things you learn at the academy are the basics. It can take some hundreds of years to master their powers." Aizen told him and watched Ichigo's eyes widened. He couldn't wait that long, even though he practiced every day, he needed to get stronger to protect those around him. He couldn't let…it happen again.

"Che, I'm not going to wait that long." Ichigo muttered before he stood up and proceeded towards the door. He wanted to go back to the fourth division to check on his friends. All his captain was telling him was that it was almost impossible to achieve what he wanted so soon. This idiot didn't know him; he could master anything when he set his mind to it. He just needed to practice more and now that he didn't have classes he would have more time.

"Unless," Captain Aizen stopped him, his hand ready to slide the door open. If he didn't come up with something important to say in the next minute or so, he was out of there. "You have someone teach you the more advanced things instead of learning it on your own." The boy turned around and looked at him. That certainly got his attention. He had been planning different scenarios of how to get close to the boy and this was the perfect opportunity. He could find out what he knew about Urahara, where he came from, and see his potential grow. It would take time and he did not expect to earn the boy's trust in a few months, but Sosuke Aizen was a very patient man.

"Who? You?" Ichigo asked with a hint of attitude in his voice.

"I told you on the first day you arrived that I am willing to help all those in my division. I see such potential in you and wish to help bring it out. I can help you with your weakness and reach new levels of your strengths." Aizen said without having to use any white lies. Everything he spoke was the truth. None of the other captains knew of his true strength that he kept hidden. He allowed them to think he was a mediocre captain at average strength. He knew he could teach the boy everything he needed to master every form the shinigami used. Of course this was a risk, but if it paid off in the end that was all that mattered. Instead of having two powerful allies at his side, he could have three.

Ichigo thought for a moment, feeling his hand slide off the door and drop to his side. He wanted to get stronger and his reasons weren't for his satisfaction of being better than others. He leaned his head against the door debating on whether to take the deal or not. He knew he could achieve it on his own, though it might be harder in kido. He did have Momo, Izuru, and Rukia to help him in that area, but even their knowledge was limited. Who knew how long it would take him. On the other hand if he accepted he had nothing to lose. His captain said he was there to help. He could get stronger like he promised them. He could go back and try to fix things.

'What should I do?' He asked for guidance. He knew he wouldn't get an answer, but hoped a sign would tell him. A hand rested on his shoulder and he turned to look at Aizen who gave him a soft smile.

"It is alright if you do not wish to take my offer. Just know that I will be here if you ever need me." Aizen told him and took his hand off the young man's shoulder to go back to his desk. Images raced through Ichigo's mind of screaming, pleading, and blood everywhere. He shook his head to block it out, but it wouldn't go away. It was his fault; if he had been stronger he could have prevented it.

Ichigo's eyes widened slightly as he realized this was the sign he was looking for. He had told himself he would get stronger and this was the best opportunity to do so. He had to do it for them.

Before Aizen could sit down he realized Ichigo was in front of his desk again. He held his hand out, though his face still had a scowl plastered on it. "Teach me what you know." Ichigo told him and Captain Aizen smiled warmly before taking the young man's hand and shaking it.

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I changed the one part in chapter 4 after I was informed that the third seat of squad thirteen was Miyoka, so it was the fifth seat that was there telling them what to do before Kaien came.

This story did win and will be updated more frequently. Unfortunately it won't start until after Feb 22nd due to hell weeks aka exams, exams, presentations, quizzes, papers, and more exams. After that I will be updating more!

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed it and please review!


	7. Problem One

Sorry it has been so long since the last update, the horrible test is over with and now I'm going to go back to updating regularly!!! As an I'm sorry, I gave a small hint about Ichigo's past in this chapter.

Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Announcement concerning this story: two people asked this actually so I want to let everyone know: I am not going to let Ichigo's strength grow super fast like in the canon. In there, he had to learn to quickly because he had to save Rukia, in here he doesn't have to. He is going to learn to master each skill so it is not sloppy (love Ichi, but some of this fighting is a bit sloppy)

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Aizen flipped through the pages on his desk that his useless lieutenant had forgotten to do. The boy was a nuance and couldn't even do the simplest of jobs. He really was in need for a new one. Particularly one that would spend all day and night writing up the reports just by requesting it. It was hard to come by, but he already had the perfect lieutenant in mind. It was just a matter of getting her there.

A knock at the door caused him to lift his head and his eyes looked over towards the door to see Captain Tousen enter with a folder tucked under his right arm. He held it close to him, almost as if he was willing to fight anyone that tried to take it away from him. Of course there was reason for it, if anyone saw what was inside the folder they might become suspicious.

"I was able to find some information on the last name, Kurosaki." Tousen told Aizen as he laid the folder in front of the brown haired captain. He had to go to the archives while everyone else was asleep and black out the cameras. No one would even know he had entered.

"Anything useful?" Aizen asked as he opened the folder and found a picture of a young woman with long curvy orange tinted hair. She had a narrow face, much like Ichigo, and she was quite attractive. He looked over at the short description about her.

_Masaki Kurosaki- graduate of the shinigami academy; originates from the 72__nd__ Rukongai district where her family lived. Exceeded with high marks in kido and shunpo._

He turned the page where more description was written.

_Masaki was one of many from the Rukongai that attempted to get into the academy and succeeded. She was a very lively young girl who was always seen with a smile on her face. She was not seen associating with many people and even seemed distant with some of the other students. Masaki was orchestrated into the seventh division after graduation, but never obtained a seat. There was no news about her activities for a few years until she was order to go on a small mission to clear out a few hollows. She was the only survivor while her comrades were killed. She was brought in for questioning and was accused of murdering them, but the case was dropped four weeks later and she fled from the _Seireitei _in embarrassment. Reports from others that lived with her said she was pregnant, but there was no proof. Her current whereabouts are unknown. _

Aizen leaned back in his seat, not even noticing that Tousen had already left. He remembered the event that took place where a non-officer had been accused of murdering her comrades, but never paid much attention to it. Instead he was more worried about throwing his captain off that seemed to know of his every whereabouts.

He wondered how much Ichigo knew of his mother and what happened to her before he was born. Maybe she has something to do with why he wouldn't talk about his past? He knew he couldn't come right out and ask the boy just yet, not after getting him to agree to be trained. Perhaps during one of those sessions he would be able to probe the boys mind. Of course there was another matter that was left unanswered:

Who was the boy's father?

Obviously something had happened during that mission and from what he suspected; she got pregnant while on it. He tapped his fingers against the arm rest; more pointless research would have to go into it. 'All of this had better be worth it in the end' he thought to himself as he shut the folder.

He looked over at his paper work and sighed. Perhaps he would find his useless lieutenant and drag the boy back to finish up his work. He got up from his desk and headed for the door to find his lieutenant and the boy that had caught his interest.

**Cafeteria**

Ichigo sat next to Renji on a bench near the window. Kira sat across from them and to his right was Momo in a wheelchair. The poor girl hadn't recovered since the mission and had quieted down. All of them never thought they'd say it, but they missed her over talkative obsessive self. They tried to cheer her up, but nothing worked. Rukia even attempted to talk to her, girl-to-girl, but she only started crying. They suspected Rukia's girl-to-girl chat ended with the shorter girl calling the other a wimp and needed to get over it.

"Ichigo!" another shinigami ran up to their table with her friend and they both smiled at him. He was a bit startled, he knew he would never get used to this attention and wished it would stop. He couldn't even walk through the hallways without someone hounding him on how he repelled the Menos Grande. It was getting annoying.

"Did you really defeat the hollow with your bare hands?" the friend asked and Renji rolled his eyes and turned his head away. The story kept getting warped with each passing day and it made him sick.

"Huh? No, and I didn't defeat it." Ichigo grumbled and scooted closer to Renji when both girls sat down next to him. One was pushing herself on him and a blush spread across his cheeks. He defiantly felt uncomfortable!

"Come on, you can tell us." The one furthest from him winked and he turned his head away.

"There is nothing to talk about." Ichigo muttered, wishing that they would leave him alone. He hated all this attention and was almost thinking of requesting to switch divisions.

"Okay, I understand you are tired from defeating that hollow. Perhaps we can meet on Saturday and get a few drinks." The girl closest to him suggested in a seductive voice that made Ichigo blush even more. Kira shook his head and thought that if Ichigo's hair was green he would actually represent his name at the moment.

"I ca-can't, I'm meeting my friends that day," he said truthfully. He was so thankful Rukia had requested they hang out every Saturday to catch up on each other's lives and to relax from their duties.

"Okay, how about tomorrow?" She asked him and he shook his head. He couldn't tell her the reason or any of the others that Captain Aizen was going to begin to train him. The captain requested that he tell no one otherwise they might become jealous and make his life miserable. Ichigo reluctantly agreed, he didn't need any more attention.

"Fine," the girls stood up, the one that had been closest to him shooting a dirty look at him. "It's your loss, but if you want to be with your loser friends, we don't care. Come on," the girl grabbed her friend and took off.

Ichigo sighed in relief. He didn't like turning them off like that, but knew they only wanted to talk or be near him because he was popular at the moment. He knew once this all died down, they would have left anyways.

"Surprised they didn't ask for your autograph." Renji grumbled and Ichigo glared at him. He had noticed Renji's attitude change since the mission. He didn't know what his problem was; it was not like he was asking for the attention. If he could, he'd give it to Renji in a heartbeat.

"Bite me," Ichigo shot back and Renji narrowed his eyes. He was not going to let it go so easily, but before he could say anything, Ichigo spoke again. "Why are you being so pissy lately, more than normal?" He asked in a bitter tone. He could care less if other people he didn't know were rude towards him, he was used to it, but when one of his best friends did, it was another story.

"I'm sick of all this fame hovering around you." Renji answered truthfully and turned his head down to look at his food. He began poking at it with one of his chop sticks, not feeling hungry anymore. That right there showed how pissed he was.

"You want it, take it. I want them to leave me alone." Ichigo told him and slammed his fist down. He had to resist hitting his friend. This was why he was acting this way? Over some petty jealousy just because Ichigo had something Renji didn't.

"Abarai, Kurosaki, quiet down!" The lieutenant shouted at them. Neither paid much attention to his words and shot him a glare. Several shinigami were gathered around him because unlike Ichigo who didn't want the fame, the lieutenant boasted his around every chance he got.

"Mind your own business." Ichigo muttered to him. After being led by the lieutenant to Captain Aizen's office the day before, it became Ichigo goal to tick the second seat off as much as possible.

"I am of higher ranking than you, if I tell you to do something that means you do it." The lieutenant stood up, leaving his little fan club where they were as he approached the two. "Do you need me to talk slower so you understand it? I know it might be hard for some Rukongai trash to-" he began to say when Renji turned and punched him.

The lieutenant held his nose that he thought was broken and glared at the red head. He was expecting this sort of behavior from Ichigo, but not from Renji. He had distaste for the red haired shinigami since he knew where he came from, but at least he listened to orders from those who were higher than him. This kind of behavior was unacceptable, especially with everyone watching them. He was going to pay for this dearly.

"How dare you strike me, I'll make sure-" he began to shout when he heard muttering behind him and turned.

Down the hall, Aizen heard his lieutenant arguing with someone in the cafeteria and knew instantly where to find the useless lump. As soon as he made his way into the door entry, he saw him holding his nose and yelling at Ichigo and Renji, however, most of his glaring was focused on Renji.

"Captain Aizen, I was trying to separate these two from disturbing others when Abarai struck me." the lieutenant stated instantly before the other could get a chance to plead his case.

"You're full of shit; you came over here acting all high and mighty calling us trash. I wish he smashed your face in harder." Ichigo growled at the lieutenant.

"You have no right to speak to me that way!" the lieutenant scolded him and reached down to grab Ichigo by the collar, when his hand was smacked away by Renji.

"I got another fist; let's see how this one works." He threatened and finally Captain Aizen stepped in.

"That is enough; I do not want any violence in this room or anywhere in this division." He said calmly and placed a hand on Renji and his lieutenant's shoulders. Both men glared at each other, but didn't dare say a word. "I have some unfinished paper work that needs to be done, can you please finish it and I'll speak with you later." He ordered to his lieutenant, who nodded before leaving.

Aizen turned his attention back to Renji who bowed his head. During the short fight he witnessed, it seemed that Ichigo and Renji were close and if one was in danger it would provoke the other. He took note of it and stored it within his mind. Something would defiantly have to be done.

"Abarai-san, may I please speak with you." Aizen requested and Renji nodded and stood up.

"It wasn't his fault, he didn't start it." Ichigo defended his friend, but Aizen only smiled warmly and shook his head.

"No need to worry, he is not in trouble. I just need to speak with him." He said to put the boy's mind at ease. Ichigo sat back down, not saying another word. Momo looked up at her captain before turning her head away. She did not feel she was worthy of being within his presence, not after her failure. "Please wait outside for me." Aizen instructed to Renji, who nodded and did as he was told.

Aizen noticed the quick look Momo had given him and made his way over to her. He bent down so they were at eye level and noticed a blush formed on her cheeks before she turned away. "I heard what happened on the mission, it was not your fault." He said in a soothing voice and the young girl turned her head to face him. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she kept them at bay.

"I'm sorry." Momo apologized and bowed her head. She felt Aizen's hand touch her shoulder and it sent a shiver down her spine. If this had been three days ago, she would be jumping out of her skin with glee that her idol was so close to her, but now all she felt was guilt. She had failed him.

"There is nothing to be sorry about. Things happen all the time, but you cannot stop living because of them. You need to learn from your mistakes and make sure they don't happen again." He told her and for the first time since the mission, she smiled and nodded. Kira felt like his mouth was going to fall open. All of them had told her the exact same thing, but when it came from their captain, she listened.

"Thank you Captain Aizen, I promise when I get better, I'll make you proud!" She declared and felt her heart melt when he smiled at her before standing up. He patted her on the head before exiting the cafeteria.

Aizen found Renji waiting outside like he ordered. He motioned for the red head to walk with him, he didn't want to be in ear shot of anyone in the cafeteria that could hear this and headed for the empty study room. He sat down in a soft black chair and watched as the young man sat across from him.

He knew he had to be careful with how he dealt with this situation. If he made one mistake, the red head could involve Ichigo in this and then he would have to find another route with his plans. Fortunately for him, the red head was much more obedient and would listen to everything he said with seriousness, much more than his friend.

"Before we start, I didn't mean to punch him. I'm just so sick of everyone looking down at me; it is why I worked so hard at the academy, so I wouldn't have to deal with that bullshit. We weren't even fighting and he just interrupted us." Renji plead his case, fearing that Aizen might scold or threaten to kick him out of the squad. He didn't know where he would go if that happened. He had been fortunate enough to get in with his friends and didn't want to end up alone. He doubted the thirteenth division would let him in if he was known for being a trouble maker.

"I believe you, Abarai-san. I am just concerned about how you are getting along with the others." The captain asked and Renji sat back in his chair a bit surprised. He hadn't really engaged in conversation with any other shinigami besides his friends.

"Ugh, fine I guess. Well, besides the lieutenant." Renji replied sheepishly. He looked up at his captain who had concern written all over his face. He watched as the older man leaned forward and brought his hands together in a sigh.

"I received a report from one of the other officers that was on the mission. He said you were goofing off and hid when the hollows arrived. Two others reported the same thing." He informed the young man whose mouth dropped open. The first thing he thought was 'where did that crap come from', but then as he thought about it he remembered that other shinigami. He couldn't remember his name, but the idiot was blaming him for not moving up further. He remembered he had two friends behind him and his eyes opened slightly wider. They were setting him up!

"Captain that did not happen, ask other people! I fought just as hard as everyone else!" Renji told his captain, almost sounding a bit panicked. He didn't know what he had done to deserve this treatment or why it even had to start when he had finally found a place he was comfortable with. He had his friends, except Rukia, with him and didn't want to be torn away from them.

"If it was one report, I could turn it away, but since it is three I am forced to investigate into it. You are a very strong young man, Renji. That is why I found it hard to believe those reports. I just want to ask you to be careful around those you talk to and unfortunately after what just happened with the lieutenant, I'm forced to keep an eye on you even more. Please don't make me have to send you to another division. You have so much potential that has not even awoken yet, but I can't ignored the Head Captain's orders otherwise he would replace me with someone else." Captain Aizen told him and Renji nodded solemnly.

He didn't know how he was going to do it. He'd have to watch his back for others that wanted to get rid of him already. He hadn't even been at the fifth division for two weeks and already had enemies!

"I'll try to avoid getting into a fight with anyone else." Renji muttered, though at the moment he wanted nothing more than to find that punk he met on the mission and beat the crap out of him. He had a lot of nerve making up stuff about him just because he wasn't strong enough to move up a position on his own. He knew he couldn't, he had to remain calm and not let things get to him.

That was better said than done. The next few weeks were going to be hell.

* * *

Next chapter: Ichigo begins his training! And the next chapter will be longer!

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed and please review!


	8. First Meeting

Special thanks to **Serenityhimesheppard****, ****Mel72000****, ****Grinja****, ****RuByMoOn17****, ****Julian Carax****, ****Tango Dancer****, ****HikaruOfArrow****, ****CalypsoHatesEveryone****, ****Takai153****, ****Ichiberrylover****, ****Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky,****BeccaBaby****, ****TealEyedBeing****, charles123 (**with Ichigo blushing and if his hair was green he'd look like a strawberry, like his name**), In Light Syrup, ****TsukiUchiha13****, Ms Unlucky, **and **SakaSandora** for taking the time to review! Hugs and Ichigo plushies all around!!!

And another special thanks **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for beta-reading the chapter so fast!!!

* * *

Ichigo leaned against the headboard of his bed and was reading a book he found in the library. It seemed like this was his only safe haven away from the rest of the squad. The only person who he shared his room with was Renji and he hadn't seen his friend return since he left to talk with their captain earlier. It wasn't surprising that Momo turned back into her old self as soon as the captain talked to her. He supposed it was better than her being her gloomy self.

He heard the door open and lowered his book to see Renji walk through the door and lock it behind him. He had a solemn expression on his face like someone had run over his dog. He didn't even look at Ichigo as he went over to his closet and began digging in for something to wear for the night.

"Hey, what happened?" Ichigo asked his friend but Renji ignored him. The red-head found an old pair of hakama to wear and went into the small bathroom to put them on. Ichigo folded the top page of his book and placed it on his nightstand to the left of his bed. He was getting tired of his friend's back and forth attitude. One minute he would be himself and defending Ichigo, the next he was back to being a jealous bastard and he was getting sick of it.

When Renji exited the bathroom, he went over to his bed and turned the blankets down to crawl inside. "Hey, I asked you a question!" Ichigo growled at him, refusing to be ignored this time. He didn't care if he had to pull the idiot by his long hair and drag him to the thirteenth division; he was going to get answers.

"It's not important," Renji replied and turned over on his side so he was facing the wall with his back towards Ichigo.

"Then why are you acting like Momo? What did Aizen tell you?" Ichigo asked and Renji turned over and glared at him. He didn't get it, he was respectful towards everyone while his friend was the opposite and he still was treated better than he was.

_Must be rough having everything handed to him, I wish my life had been like that. All I got was living on the streets with Rukia while he gets pampered_, Renji thought to himself bitterly. "Like you care," Renji muttered and turned back around. He placed a pillow over his head to shut out whatever noise Ichigo was going to make until it was ripped out of his hands.

"What the hell does that mean? We're friends! Now tell me what happened before I beat it out of you!" Ichigo threatened while hovering over Renji. The red head sneered and pushed his friend away as he sat up.

"I got people targeting me and trying to get me kicked out. If I end up in anymore fights I'll either be kicked out of the Seireitei, imprisoned or transferred to any place that will take me in," Renji revealed and looked down in anger.

"Who is targeting you? I'll beat the shit out of them in the morning!" Ichigo told him and Renji rolled his eyes at him. Of course, Ichigo could get away with it; he was a hero in everyone's eyes.

"I don't need you defending me." Renji said and glared at his friend.

"And I didn't need you defending me in the cafeteria and you did it anyways. We're friends, we watch each other's back. If someone is messing with you they are messing with me," Ichigo told him and Renji looked off to the side. He didn't want Ichigo's help with this; there was nothing he could do anyways. He watched his friend roll his eyes and plop down on his bed.

"You remember that guy on the mission that said I didn't deserve my position?" Renji asked his friend who looked over at him. He raised an eyebrow at him wondering what made his thick-headed friend decide to finally tell him.

"Yeah, the idiot who was about to fight us before the hollows attacked," Ichigo recited and Renji shook his head 'yes'.

"Apparently he went to Captain Aizen and told him that on the mission I was not doing my job and goofing off. He had his other friends do the same so now there is a watch on me. Also because of that other asshole, if I get into anymore fights I could be kicked out." He revealed and Ichigo's eyes widened slightly.

"What? That's bullshit! I'm going to Aizen's office right now and tell him-" Ichigo yelled as he got out of his bed. He was going to go down to their captain's office and tell him what a bunch of bullshit all of this was. Renji hadn't done anything wrong and did a lot of the fighting while those cowards huddled behind a bush in fear.

"It won't help, he already told me to watch my back and to be careful when I'm around them," Renji replied and looked up at Ichigo. He growled in frustration and punched his pillow, pretending it was those guys. Why now of all times did this have to happen? Why couldn't it have when he was back in the academy or on the streets? At least there he could have handled the situation, but now he'd have to take whatever they said or did and the only other option was to go squealing to the captain if they picked on him. That was the cowardly way of handling the situation and he'd rather be beaten to a bloody pulp than to result to that.

"Hey, I got your back, like before. If they mess with you, they mess with me," Ichigo promised him. "And if that doesn't work, we'll send Rukia after them with her crappy little bunny drawings." This caused Renji to snicker, feeling slightly better since earlier.

"You know she would kick your ass if you insulted Chappy," Renji commented and Ichigo rolled his eyes as he plopped down on his bed.

"No shit, first time I told her that she hit me in the face with her sketch book. I had to explain to people the bruise on my face was from a ticked-off midget," Ichigo stated as he laid down in his bed. He yawned as he threw the blankets over himself.

"Hey," he heard Renji say and opened an eye. "Sorry about earlier, I'm just sick of finally getting something good only for it to be taken away from me." Ichigo opened his other eye and stared at the ceiling. He wanted to open his mouth and say he wished for the same, but he stopped himself.

"Don't worry; I'm used to you acting like an idiot." Ichigo yawned and turned over on his side as Renji sat up and glared at his friend.

"What did you say?" He growled and was about ready to get up and rip the blanket off of Ichigo.

"You want me to say it a little louder so everyone else can hear?" Ichigo rolled back over and looked at him with a smartass expression on his face. Renji glared down at his friend and tried to confine himself. He'd have to learn more self-control soon anyways and what better time than now. He'd let the little jerk win this round.

* * *

The next day, Ichigo was in the training room with his friends while glancing at the time every now and then. Since finding out what was happening to his friend, he wanted to make sure no one was there to cause him trouble. What better way than to have him train with Izuru and Momo, who was back to her old self, watching.

"Hey, why do you keep looking at the time? You got a date?" Renji teased as he stopped for a moment and then realized his mistake and dodged out of the way of Izuru's lightning bolt. He cursed as he looked at the spot he had been standing and saw a small hole surrounded by bits of black. He glared over at the blond who apologized for almost killing him.

"I got something to do; I'll catch up with you later," Ichigo told him and started walking towards the door.

"Like what? There is nothing for us to do today. Captain Aizen has left the division to go on some mission in the Rukongai district so it is completely empty today," Renji stated and Ichigo turned and to look at him. Aizen had told him he would be in his office though no one else was to know. He started wondering about all this secrecy but ignored it. Aizen told him he couldn't be showing favoritism towards a single shinigami, so this was the only way to cover his tracks.

"Since when did you become my babysitter?" Ichigo asked and Renji glared at him.

"That's Rukia's job, and she'll kill me if anything happens to you," Renji replied with a sigh. He was starting to wonder what it would be like if she was with them in the fifth division. Probably would smack them around a lot, then again, he probably wouldn't have gotten into that fight with the lieutenant in the cafeteria. He remembered when the three of them were in the academy they always looked out for one another. When some idiot dared to mock Rukia after she was adopted, he and Ichigo would take care of them. It was the same when some snob noble made fun of him for being from the Rukongai district. Ichigo would beat the person up and Rukia would eventually have to pull him away and say the kid was not worth it. She was pretty much the peacekeeper of the group, and he started noticing how it seemed to fall apart since she was no longer there. Heck, he probably wouldn't have gotten so jealous of Ichigo so fast if she had been there to snap him out of it.

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo waved as he turned around and continued walking towards the door. "I'll see you later," he said again and finally left. He'd think of another excuse later of where he had been and hopefully they would forget about it. He made his way to the building Aizen's office was in and walked down the hallway until he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you doing here?" The lieutenant snarled and Ichigo rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood to explain himself to this idiot.

"None of your business," Ichigo growled and pushed the lieutenant's hand off his shoulder.

"If I ask you something you are to answer." The lieutenant growled and seemed even more annoyed when Ichigo only smirked.

"Yeah, you said that yesterday before your face got smashed in," Ichigo responded and turned away. "Why don't you go find someone else to bug." He muttered as he walked away leaving the lieutenant glaring at his back. The kid ticked him off almost as much as Abarai and needed to be taken down a few pegs. The lieutenant smirked; he'd be the one to do it and couldn't wait to see the sorrow on the kid's face. That'd teach him.

Ichigo looked over his shoulder and noticed the lieutenant walking down the other end of the hall and rolled his eyes. If there was anybody that needed to be kicked out of the fifth division, it was him not Renji. At least his friend didn't look down on people like he was better than they were. He shook his head and opened the door to the office and stepped inside. It was completely empty and he bit his lip as he walked over to the bookcase.

Captain Aizen had told him that one of them would open the bookcase to a secret room where he was waiting and they would begin training. His fingers brushed against the back of the books until he came upon a familiar red book on the second shelf from the bottom and pulled it back. The bookshelf immediately slid to the right and an entrance was now visible.

He stepped through the entrance and looked around at his surroundings. He jumped slightly when the bookshelf slid back and he placed his hand on the door. "Don't worry, you're not trapped here." Captain Aizen spoke from behind him and he spun around to see the older man standing with a friendly smile on his face.

"Follow me, it is down this way." Aizen motioned for Ichigo to follow but paying attention if he did or not. Ichigo followed Aizen to the other side of the room, passing by a small table and chair where books were gathered around. "This is where I come to study when I do not want to be disturbed." He explained and Ichigo did not respond.

They went through another door and down a spiral staircase until they reached the bottom to find a mini training room. Ichigo stared around it, wondering if this was new or if all the captains had one. He didn't ask as Aizen moved to the center of the room and he noticed two chairs on the right side of the wall.

"Now then, which would you prefer to start with: kido, hakuda, zanjutsu or shunpo?" He asked and Ichigo hesitated for a moment. He hadn't thought of which one he'd rather learn first.

"I supposed zanjutsu since I'm almost already there with it." He commented and watched as Aizen seemed to smile in amusement.

"As I said earlier, what you learned in the academy is nothing compared to hundreds of years of experience other captains have. You may be very skilled in the area but you are nowhere near mastering it just yet," Captain Aizen commented and watched as a scowl formed on Ichigo's face.

"Then what do you suggest?" Ichigo asked and folded his arms across his chest with a hint of annoyance.

"First we need to teach you how to control your spiritual pressure. I could be on the other side of the Seireitei and identify you. After that we'll take each one step by step each day," Aizen responded and Ichigo seemed to agree slightly on the spiritual pressure part but not on the rest.

"I don't need to learn how to master kido or shunpo, they're not that useful." Ichigo commented and received a small chuckle from Aizen as if mocking him.

"That is what most think and is why they don't bother with them. However, all techniques are important in their own way. Kido for instance could allow you to take down more enemies than one or hold it in place while you deal with the first. Shunpo is the same, if your enemy is faster than you it could put you at a disadvantage." He stated, but left out the other form he knew of.

"Now then, before we begin why don't you demonstrate for me how far you are with them." Captain Aizen stated. Ichigo rolled his eyes and pulled out his Zanpakutou from behind his back and unraveled it. "Once we are able to conceal your spiritual pressure, your Zanpakutou shouldn't be as big." He commented and Ichigo looked down at the black and white sword. He had grown kind of used to it being this size, not to mention it was a lot more intimidating than the small sword Aizen carried at his side.

"Fine," Ichigo shunpoed in front of Aizen and realized by the time he got there the captain had already moved. He looked around and found the older man sitting in the chair off to the side.

"You are much too slow. It was as if you were walking towards me." Captain Aizen stated as he got up from his seat. "We will have to work on that greatly. Now try a simple bakudō and a hadō spell. If you are able to hit me with either spell you will be rewarded, if not we will move onto the next technique and spend the rest of the day going over what you did wrong." He replied and Ichigo grumbled. He felt like he was almost being set up. Aizen already knew he was bad a kidō from earlier.

He placed Zangetsu on the ground temporary and tried to recall a low level spell for each technique. His eyes never left his captain's face as he raised his hands in front of him like Momo and Rukia taught him. "Hado #4 Byakurai" Ichigo called out and lightening shot out of his finger tips and destroyed the chair to the right of Aizen.

Ichigo scowled at the destroyed chairs and straightened up. "Not a word about how bad that was!" Ichigo warned and placed his hands in front of him again, he still had one more chance. There was one bakudō spell he knew that would either work or backfire on him. He was willing to take his chances and try it out anyways. "Bakudō #1Sai!" he yelled aiming at Aizen, but felt his own hands get pulled behind his back and fell to the floor in pain.

"Kurosaki-san, are you taking this seriously?" Captain Aizen asked as he moved to stand in front of the younger man. He could hear Ichigo grumble and waved his hand and the boy was released.

"I told you I'm not good at kidō," Ichigo muttered as he rubbed his wrists and looked over at Zangetsu resting on the ground. He grabbed the hilt and stabbed the sword into the ground to help himself up. "Like I said, I don't see how this could help me." He stated and once again felt his hands go behind his back and fall to his knees again. He stared up at Aizen in shock. The man never moved or opened his mouth.

"Do you still believe that now? If we were in battle you would be as good as dead," Aizen replied and released the kidō spell on the younger man and watched him get back up. Ichigo held onto Zangetsu and never took his eyes off his captain. "Let us continue with something else, let's try hakuda." He suggested and noticed Ichigo grin. So, the boy thought he was talented in this area; well he'd fix that in a few seconds.

Ichigo placed Zangetsu on the ground once more and walked up to his captain. He knew he probably didn't stand a chance against a captain-level shinigami, yet, but it was still nice to see how far he had to go until he was there. He frowned slightly when Aizen hadn't even raised his hands and seemed to wait for him to make the first move. He kept his fingers to his right hand straight and as fast as he could tried to strike Aizen in the chest, only for it to be grabbed.

Captain Aizen stared at Ichigo before looking at the wrist he had caught in his hand. "Once again you were too slow, at this point I could easily disarm you or break your wrist." He stated before letting his hand go and turned around. It was one of the rules that was taught at the academy: never turn your back to an enemy. Ichigo saw the opportunity and took it. He swung at his captain but his fist went right through the other man. He stared in shock and saw Aizen standing to his right. "Like I said, too slow. Not only that, I did that on purpose to see if you would take the bait. You need to learn that some of the things you learned at the academy are for those who have no hope of going onto being anything. If an enemy is smart, he will set up a trap for you to walk into and if you can't identify it, it will be too late," he stated and hid a smirk that threatened to spread across his face.

"Now then there is one other but there is no need to demonstrate for me since I already saw it when you went through your exam. What I want to know is can you materialize your Zanpakutou?" He asked Ichigo who looked confused. The young man looked back at Zangetsu and took a hold of it. He hadn't talked to the old man since he learned his name and that was it.

"I didn't even know that was possible." Ichigo commented and looked up at Aizen who smiled softly.

"It is the best way to learn about your Zanpakutou. There is no better master for you than your sword. He knows every technique that can be used and it is only through him can you reach his full power and one day obtain bankai." He stated and Ichigo looked back at Zangetsu. It was another thing that the academy did not teach, sadly. All they taught students was how to summon their Zanpakutou and a few basic skills from each of the four techniques.

Ichigo looked up at Aizen with curiosity. "How long did it take you to learn bankai?" He asked the older man who seemed somewhat surprised by it but he would amuse the boy.

"For most it can takes years and still never be able to obtain it. Even after it takes years to perfect it. It took seven years to learn, but I've only had to call upon it once." He stated with another hidden smirk. Once was all it took for all of the Seireitei to fall under his spell. "I've never had a need to use it since my Shikai is strong enough." He said confidently.

Ichigo had to hold back a groan in annoyance, now the guy seemed to be bragging about it. "Why don't we start our first lesson with controlling your reiatsu?" He suggested again. If they were able to get past this feat, it would make it simpler to teach the boy the rest. "If I may ask, Kurosaki-san, how you ended up with so much reiatsu to the point it spills out of you?" He asked with caution.

Ichigo shrugged. As far as he could remember, he had always had reiatsu pouring out of him. It made it hard hiding when he was a child, but in some ways, it also saved his life. "I don't know, it was one of the things I kind of failed while in the academy." Ichigo muttered, having a strange feeling he didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Did your parents or adopted parents ever comment on it?" He asked and watched as Ichigo took a step back.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes at his captain, he didn't have parents, he had a parent and anything concerning her were none of his business. "You don't need to know that." He commented and turned around. He was done for the day.

Aizen raised an eyebrow at this. "Alright, just answer me one thing, Kurosaki-san," He called and the boy stopped for moment but never turned to face him. "Why are you trying to get strong? I can see something is bothering and consuming you." He stated and Ichigo turned his head slightly to the left.

"What does it matter to you?" Ichigo snarled. He didn't want to deal with or remember what happened. He had his own reasons for getting stronger and that should be good enough. He heard footsteps walk up behind him but refused to acknowledge him.

"Because I do not want to waste my time on a student who is letting his past consume him. If you let your weakness follow your around, you will never grow stronger. Otherwise you will remain ahead of those who are that of average strength," Captain Aizen commented as he reached Ichigo's side and looked down at him. "You have far more potential than that, it would be a shame to not advance just because you fear something."

"We're done for today," Aizen said and walked towards the staircase, leaving the boy to his thoughts.

* * *

The lieutenant paced around the empty lounge with his hands behind his back. After the event that happened the day before with Renji, he had gone back to Captain Aizen's office and began working on the paper work he had forgotten about. A while after, his captain entered and told him how disappointed he was with him and was warned if he kept this behavior up towards Renji or anyone else, he would be looking for a new lieutenant.

It was Ichigo and Renji's fault! They had started the entire mess and when he went to clean it up, he got punched and then reprimanded for it. Captain Aizen had no idea what really happened… not yet anyways. He was going to make them pay for making him look bad. It was bad enough with all the other shinigami staring at him because he was punched by the thirteenth seat but now he had to make sure he was on his best behavior or else he would be replaced.

He heard footsteps come up behind him and turned to find the fifteenth seat, Geso, standing there with a bored expression on his fat face. "What do you want?" He asked with no respect but the lieutenant did not care for once. He needed this idiot for the time being.

"I know you have something against Renji Abarai." The lieutenant stated and Geso immediately went on the defensive.

"I didn't do anything to him, whatever he said, he is lying!" The fifteenth seat yelled and took a step back. He hadn't planned on his plan backfiring on him.

"He didn't say anything, I called you here for another reason." The lieutenant said and Geso seemed to calm down. He stared at the older man with hesitation. "I'm sure you heard what happened in the cafeteria yesterday? Everyone in the fifth division knows about it, hell people in other divisions already know," he spat with hatred in his voice.

The other boy nodded. He had not been there when it happened but when he heard Renji had struck the lieutenant, he got his hopes up that he had been kicked out. He felt a sense of anger when the red-head got away with it, if it had been anyone else, they would have been kicked out. He was sure his little orange-haired friend had something to do with it.

"Anyways, I want him gone and I know you want the same. I figure if we come up with a plan we can get that useless trash taken out of here." The lieutenant suggested and Geso smirked. This would be perfect and perhaps he could even be moved up a few positions after Renji was gone.

"What do you have in mind?" Geso asked taking a few steps closer.

"I know for fact that if a shinigami of a division, excluding the eleventh, continues to get into several fights, he will be kicked out. There is only so much hiding behind his friend he can do. Perhaps if we can provoke him, it should do the job. Though, it doesn't seem too hard since he tries to start a fight every chance he gets," the lieutenant replied. Hopefully, after the red-head got kicked out, his captain would realize he was wrong and apologize to him. He could not have a better lieutenant than himself, he was powerful, smart, somewhat handsome, and manipulative. He'd use everything in his power to make sure Renji would pay for making him look like a fool, and then Ichigo would be next.

* * *

A/N: I will go into some explanation about Renji in the next chapter, cause if I do it in this one it gives away what will happen (unless Renji is your absolute favorite character and you know what is going to happen, I'm pretty much basing his story off the canon). As for Aizen and Ichigo's training, well sorta, Ichi kinda got set up for that. If you read the current manga, its kinda hard sending someone who still lacks experience against THAT!

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review ^_^


	9. Broken Promise

Special thanks to **Mel72000****, hi** (we shall see!), **CalypsoHatesEveryone****,** **charles123** (sorry that was a glitch, I deleted that part), **Grinja****, ****Ubernaut****, ****TsukiUchiha13****, ****animelover1993****, ****LvNa-cHaN****, ****TealEyedBeing****, ****Takai153****, ****Master Solo****, ****Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky****, ****AAA ASRA AAA****, ****RuByMoOn17****, ****Appropriate Exclamation****, ****BeccaBaby****, ****Piper Julian****, ****Serenityhimesheppard****, ****fallenangel9413****, **and **SakaSandora** SOOO much for reviewing the last chapter!!! Also another BIG thanks to everyone who placed this story on favorites and alerts! Over 100 for both! I really hope ppl continue to enjoy this story, and I am very flattered that so many ppl have taken an interest in this story!

Another thanks to **Black Sun Upon An Icy** Sky for beta-reading the chapter!

* * *

The entire week had been frustrating for Ichigo. Since his first day of training (if he could call it that), his mind had been wandering in the past. He knew what his weakness was and he never dared to share it with anyone. It wasn't that he was being secretive about it, but the fact was that it was a very private matter. It was the reason why he wouldn't share it with Rukia and Renji who told him openly what happened to them while growing up. They had a harsh life on the streets: starving, dirty, and just surviving, but their experience was completely different than his.

His was worse.

It was why he didn't tell them. He knew if he shared that part of the past, they would look at him with sympathy and he didn't want that. It was bad enough the first time he entered the Seireitei with Urahara…

"Why do you keep looking at your drink?" He heard Rukia ask and turned to look at the short girl sitting next to him. He scowled at her and leaned back in his seat. It was Saturday already and they met at the sake bar like they promised they would.

"I wasn't, I was just thinking," Ichigo stated before he took a sip. Rukia looked at him with disbelief, since when did he think anything through? She thought about questioning him, but left it alone. On the other side of her was Renji who was looking equally glum.

It surprised her when she found her friends looking mildly depressed. She thought she would be the one that would fill those shoes and they would be the ones trying to cheer her up, not the other way around. She had thought since they were in the same division they would be safer and happier, but it was the exact opposite. Renji had told her of his problem and the threat of being kicked out. She wasn't too surprised to find out he had gotten into a few fights, she was actually expecting him to do it on the first day. Ichigo was just as quiet which surprised her. His eyes would stare down at the table for long periods of time until someone shook him out of it.

"What were you thinking about?" Rukia asked him. She sighed knowing he was either going to make something up or tell her not to worry about it. Of course, if it was her with the problem, he'd stand over her and tell her to either confess or stop looking like that.

"Nothing." He replied and rested his right arm against the table. Rukia frowned and watched him for a moment before turning back to Renji. It was just like Ichigo to keep anything that was bothering him locked up and no matter how hard she tried, he would never tell her what was wrong. She had tried on many occasions and all it seemed to do was shove him away.

"So you were talking about your lieutenant?" Rukia asked and Renji glared down at his drink. He had already told her about the idiot who had told his captain that he was messing around on the mission and had just gotten to the part about what happened with the lieutenant when Rukia noticed Ichigo dozing off.

He meant to talk to Rukia later about their friend. He knew every once in a while Ichigo would have nightmares, some he would come out of and others it took almost to the point where he had to throw the orange-haired shinigami out of bed. Of course he always received a punch or kick to the stomach for the action and Ichigo would claim he was sleeping peacefully. It seemed like every night that week he had to wake his friend and was getting slightly worried. Renji hadn't heard anything about that Tatsuki he had mentioned, just words like: no, run, stop, please, and don't leave me.

"That guy is another idiot. He has this high prissy attitude like he is better than everyone else because he's the lieutenant. He started talking trash about us and I finally had it and punched him." Renji said in a low voice. He could see Rukia shaking her head out of the corner of his eyes, but ignored it.

"And let me guess, you got in trouble," Rukia stated and saw the annoyed glance Renji shot her. He hadn't changed since the first day she met him and she could still read his every thought before he spoke it.

"What else was I supposed to do?" Renji asked her and shoved his drink to the middle of the table. He had barely taken more than a few sips and doubted he would finish the rest.

"Ignore it or try to find something else to distract yourself with," Rukia told him and he rolled his eyes.

"Isn't that what you did at the academy? Ignore all the people who mocked you for being the 'Kuchiki Princess'? That didn't help at all, they still made fun of you until Renji and I beat them up," Ichigo said and Rukia shot him a glare. Finally he had taken an interest in the conversation, but he wasn't helping.

"Ow, damn it!" Ichigo cursed when he felt a sharp kick to his knee and glared at Rukia who went back to talking to Renji. Stupid little brat, he'd make her pay later.

"I suppose I can try that, but I doubt it will work." Renji grumbled and ignored Ichigo's stare. He was never one to let things slide, but he would attempt to try it. "So, how are things in your division?" He asked, trying to change the subject to get his mind off his problems.

"It's nice there. There are a few friendly people, the third and fourth seats are very nice. And I didn't tell you guys, my lieutenant is training me." She told them and they looked at her. A slight blush spread across her face as they grinned at her. "What?"

"So, is there anything going on between you two?" Renji asked and Rukia narrowed her eyes at him.

"Better yet, what sort of training is it?" Ichigo teased before he and Renji both met the table head first.

"First, he is married! Second, he knows what it is like because he is from a noble family, too. And three, he is teaching me to get stronger! Did I make myself clear?" She asked and let them go. She smiled with satisfaction as both boys rubbed their heads and nodded. "Good."

**Next Day**

Aizen sat in his office going over the useless paper work. He hadn't heard or talked to Ichigo since their last meeting, but he wasn't worried. The boy was after power and the only person who could give it to him was Aizen. Still, he knew he'd have to be careful around the boy. He saw how sensitive he grew when his parents were mentioned.

He set his pen down and looked at his top right drawer where the folder that contained information on Masaki Kurosaki was located. He wondered how much the boy knew of his mother's identity, or if she was alive. The information he received wasn't very helpful on discovering more about the boy, and most importantly, why Urahara knew and how to find him.

So many children lived as orphans on the streets and a few in the poorer areas have been killed. Of all the children, why did the ex-captain go to Ichigo? His first thoughts were the other man had hid the Hogyoku inside the boy but dismissed it. Urahara was not one to keep something so precious and powerful where he could not reach it. No, there had to be another reason and the only way to find out was to get Ichigo to tell him, but that probably wouldn't happen anytime soon. The boy had been friends with Abarai and Kuchiki and from what he heard, they didn't even know about Ichigo's past either.

A knock at the door caused him to turn his head and place his fake smile on his face. "Come in," he said in a warm, friendly voice and the door opened. He felt his smile widen when Ichigo entered and looked hesitant. "It is good to see you again, Kurosaki-san. Why don't you have a seat?" He motioned with his hand towards the two seats in front of his desk.

Ichigo shut the door behind him and slowly made his way over to the seat. He looked at the floor for a moment, as if trying to get his bearings before looking up to look at his captain. He had debated about what Aizen had said over the past few days and knew the words were true. He always let the past eat away at him, even when he tried to disguise it when he was with his friends.

"I want to restart my training again. More seriously this time," Ichigo told him and watched as Aizen raised an eyebrow curiously.

"If I may, what made you decide this?" Captain Aizen asked as he leaned back in his chair. Inwardly, he was complimenting himself for being the genius he was.

"I've been thinking the past few days about my weakness." He commented and looked down slightly. Aizen watched curiously as the boys eyes seemed to change from hesitant to those of pain, fear, and sadness. He could see the boy was debating on what he should say, but remained quiet; he knew if he pushed, the kid could walk out without hesitation.

"I want to get stronger to protect the people I care about… " He whispered and closed his eyes as a memory flashed in his mind.

_He couldn't have been more than two, maybe three years old at the time and it was his very first memory. He didn't know who the person was that was holding him or what they looked like. All he knew was he was tired and wanted another nap. _

"_Ichigo, you know what your name means, don't you?" He heard a male voice say and opened his eyes again and his tiny fingers grabbed the white blanket that was wrapped around him. _

"_Others are going to tease you and say your name means 'strawberry', well it does, but that's not the meaning of your name. Your name means: he who protects. I know you'll protect your mother for me." He heard the man say and felt himself being placed back into his bed. His tiny head rested against the pillow and felt the stranger run his fingers through his short orange hair. _

"_I love you and will see you again, my son." The man whispered and he felt a kiss on his forehead. Ichigo looked up, but all he saw was the ceiling and heard the footsteps of the person leaving._

Ichigo stared down at the floor, feeling a pain enter his chest again. At the moment he felt like running out of the office to be by himself. It was the only way he was able to cope with what happened. He looked up at Aizen and noticed a sympathetic look in the man's eyes. Ichigo closed his eyes and pushed away all the negative feelings that had just entered him moments ago.

"I need to get stronger to protect the ones I love." He repeated and Aizen leaned forward and crossed his fingers together on the desk.

"That is a very good reason to want to get stronger, if I may ask, is there a reason beyond that? I noticed you seemed a bit distressed," Aizen commented, his voice laced with concern.

Ichigo looked back up at him and sighed for a moment. He wasn't going to go into detail about… that, but since the man was going to try and help him, he'd decided to phrase it in the briefest way possible. Besides, he didn't know if he wanted to recall everything that had traumatized him before Urahara found him. He felt his hand clutch the fabric of his hakama when he thought of the ex-captain.

"I… I couldn't protect a few people that were important to me and something happened to them that I'd rather not go into detail about." He muttered and leaned back against his seat. "I felt helpless and I never wanted to feel that way again. When we went on that mission last week, it sort of brought memories of that time back." He admitted and shook his head. "It's not something that I'll ever forget, if that was what you are asking me to do. I'm just afraid of failing my friends and letting them meet the same fate."

Captain Aizen smiled warmly at him and nodded his head. Already he had thought of three different scenarios of how to manipulate the boy. "That is understandable, and your reasons are very honorable. However, you'll never move forward and be able to protect those you care about if you're afraid. You need to concentrate harder and not rely on dumb luck to save you." Captain Aizen replied and Ichigo scowled. He'd admit it was probably the main reason why he was alive at the moment and not blasted into the ground from the Cero the Gillian had fired. He wasn't one of strategy and planning and relied more on the heat of the moment. So far, it had been working well, but who knew how long that would last.

"So you'll help me still?" Ichigo asked, unsure if his captain was telling him he was no longer interested in wasting his time or was testing his determination.

"As I told you earlier, Kurosaki-san, I can see the potential in you and I want to help bring it out," Captain Aizen stated as he held his hand out to Ichigo. The young man looked at him for a moment before he reached over and was about to take Aizen's hand when they both felt a blast of Reiatsu.

"What was that?" Ichigo asked, standing up and looking out the window behind his captain.

Aizen stood and looked out the window, a mask of worry filled his face. "Why don't you return to your room and I'll meet with you tomorrow. I have a feeling I'll be needed for this situation," he stated, but Ichigo didn't move. He had a strange feeling inside of him that something had happened to one of his friends.

"Yeah," Ichigo muttered while still looking out the window before shaking his head and walking towards the door. Hopefully Renji was back in their room and his instincts were wrong, but they usually never were. If he didn't find Renji, he'd search the entire Seireitei until he found his friend, especially with those idiots who were after him.

Aizen watched as Ichigo left and smirked out the window. Everything was going just as he predicted it.

* * *

Renji was sitting in the lounge with Momo and Izuru going over different kido spells that might be easier (and safer) for Renji to use. Somehow, the conversation shifted to Momo talking about how wonderful their captain was. He felt like yawning, but pushed the urge away and instead rested his head against his hand in a bored fashion. This could take all day.

"He is so generous. I mean, if we were in any other division, I doubt the captain would come up and make me feel better the same way Captain Aizen did. Well, maybe except the thirteenth and eighth division, their captains are pretty nice," Momo commented and brought her finger up to her chin. She had just started walking again on her ankle and it only felt slightly sore. She had been going to the fourth division every other day for treatments and they had done wonders.

Renji turned his head and looked out the window. The clouds were getting darker and it looked like it was about ready to rain soon. He wondered where Ichigo was. He had only seen his friend that morning before he took off. It was weird how quiet the orange haired shinigami had grown in the last couple of days. He shrugged his shoulders, if he had a problem he'd ask for help.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about Shiro-chan. I visited him over the weekend," Momo gushed as she said her friends name and Renji finally let the yawn escape him. At least it was a better topic than before.

"Hey, lookie here," Renji heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar, but didn't turn around to acknowledge it. Momo stopped talking instantly and looked a little nervous as well as Izuru. They both knew what happened to Renji and the last thing they needed was this.

"What, not going to look at me, Abarai?" Geso asked as he now stood behind Renji with his two friends who were snickering. Renji bit his lip and closed his eyes to control his temper. He was not going to let these guys get to him.

"We were not disturbing you, can you please leave," Izuru asked politely, trying to avoid a dangerous situation. However, with these punks, it only encouraged them and they laughed at the blond.

"Like we would listen to a weak thing like you. I bet we could pound you into the ground with no problem." One friend laughed at the blond who looked over at Renji with concern. The name calling didn't bother him and brushed it off. He knew he could take them on if needed, but like Renji, he wanted to avoid a fight.

Finally, Renji stood up and looked at his two friends and he smiled at them. "Come on, let's go to the training area." He suggested to them and acting as if the punks were not there. He felt a hand grab his shoulder and spun him around to meet the fat face of Geso.

"I was talking to you, Rukongai trash. When a noble talks to you, you should bow down and listen to what he says," Geso taunted and Renji had to squeeze his hand into a fist in order not to lash out at the other man. He could feel his heart rate going up, but took long deep breaths to calm himself down. He knew what would happen if he gave in and started fighting: he'd be separated from his friends and who knew where he'd end up. All that hard work at the academy would have been for nothing if he let this guy win.

"Sorry, but I'm not in the mood to talk to you," Renji replied through his clenched teeth. He wanted nothing more than to bury his fist into the others fat face, but figured if they could get to the training room, he might be able to let off some steam there.

Renji pulled away from the noble and took a step forward when he saw Izuru's eyes widen. "Look out!" Izuru yelled and got to his feet just as Renji moved to the side and missed the fist that was aimed at the back of his head. Momo had her hands over her mouth in surprise and stared at the two. This was defiantly not good and she hoped Renji could continue to keep his cool after that dirty move.

Renji turned and glared at Geso, who was smirking now. "Surprised you were able to block that," he laughed and Renji narrowed his eyes at the other. He couldn't believe this guy was calling him trash and yet he was willing to make such a cowardly attack when he had his back towards him.

"Just proves that just because you're a noble doesn't mean you have honor," Renji shot at Geso, who growled at him. He knew he probably shouldn't have said anything, but there was no way he was going to let that one get by. He still had his pride and honor.

"I doubt a bug like you knows anything about honor!" Geso yelled and was about to punch Renji again when Izuru caught the fist with his hand and held onto it.

"Could you please leave us alone, we have not bothered you," Izuru suggested, feeling rather nervous about the situation. He knew if it kept up, a fight would break out in any moment and it would look very bad for Renji.

"No one asked you!" One of Geso's friends yelled and punched Izuru in the face. Renji's eyes widened when he saw his blond friend take a step back and glared at Geso. He didn't care what the fat pig said about him or how cowardly he was, no one attacked one of his friends!

"What the fuck is your problem!" Renji shouted and shoved Geso away, not caring about getting in trouble anymore. Enough was enough. "I didn't do anything to you or take your position as an officer, have you ever thought maybe it's because you suck that bad you didn't make it?" He yelled and kept his eyes on the two friends to make sure they didn't try anything. If their leader was willing to take a cheap shot, he was sure they'd have no problem either.

"Shut up!" Geso yelled and unsheathed his Zanpakutou. Renji narrowed his eyes wondering what to do. There was a rule against doing this if it isn't outside or in the training area, but on the other hand he was not going to let this guy slice him in half. He waited for Geso to attack him before he grabbed Zabimaru and blocked the attack.

"Stop it, you guys can't fight in here!" Momo yelled at them and got up from her seat in fear. Her call went ignored as the two began to engage each other in battle. She moved closer to Izuru who was holding his bruised cheek. "What should we do?" She asked him and he shook his head. If they alerted someone, Renji could be in serious trouble, but at the same time who knew what kind of damage could be done if they didn't.

"Go find someone," he ordered her and she nodded before taking off as quickly as she could down the corridor.

Geso's confident smirk disappeared when Renji had the upper hand and was driving him back. It took all his effort to keep his Zanpakutou in place and he was barely missing each attack. He had discussed with the lieutenant that they would stage it so it looked like Renji defeated him by allowing him to have the upper hand. At the moment, he knew he underestimated the red-head's strength and was having a hard time just protecting himself. Sure he wanted to move up, but he didn't want to die!

He kicked Geso's legs out from under him and turned when he heard footsteps behind him and brought his Zanpakutou up to block the attack from one of the friends. He met each swing the other made at him and was about to push him away when he felt a slice across his arm and noticed the other friend. It was getting harder and harder not to hurt these guys. His plan was to drive them away, but they were too persistent on trying to kill him.

He smashed the hilt of his Zanpakutou into the friend's face and knocked him out and turned in time for Geso to come back at him. He blocked the first attack and then took a step back as Geso swung wildly and sliced into the back of a chair before turning to find Renji's foot in his face. Geso stumbled backwards until he leaned against the wall and Renji charged at him. He held his Zanpakutou in front of him and waited for the impact.

A little voice in Renji's head was telling him to stop. He had already proven a point of who was stronger and why he received his position, but he ignored it. He was so driven by the need to defeat his enemy he refused to listen to reason. Even when the two of them smashed through the wall and rolled onto the grass with pieces of debris all around them. He had landed on top of Geso and punched him in the face until he had a bloody nose and when he raised his fist to strike him again it was caught.

He turned around and glared up at the lieutenant who had a hold on him. "That is enough, look at all the damage you have done!" The lieutenant said firmly. Others began to gather around the area and were staring at Renji and that was when he realized his mistake. He cast his eyes down at Geso who was hyperventilating and holding his bloody nose.

He looked over at Momo and Izuru who had a sympathetic look on their face as if they knew what was going to happen. They knew how important it was for Renji to be there, but in the end, he ignored his voice of reason and gave into his inner instincts.

The lieutenant yanked him up to his feet and pushed his arm behind his back with force, and Renji allowed him to. He looked down at Geso for a moment and saw a small smirk play on the other shinigami's lips and he narrowed his eyes. He had been played. The entire thing had been a set up to make Renji look bad and he fell for it. He clenched his other fist at his side, but didn't move.

"What happened?" He froze when he heard Captain Aizen's voice and turned his head to see the brown haired man who was looking around with concern. When his eyes landed on Renji, they were filled with disappointment and sympathy as if already knowing.

"Abarai was causing trouble again, sir. I had to drag him off of Geso in order to make him stop." The lieutenant stated proudly and pushed a little rougher on Renji's arm that made the red head wince in pain.

"Is this true, Abarai-san?" Captain Aizen asked as he took a step forward towards the two. Geso was now sitting up and was whimpering in pain from his nose and acting pathetically helpless.

"He set me up! He was antagonizing me into a fight because he knew I would get into trouble!" Renji shouted. It was either now or never to plead his case before anyone else could make up more lies about him.

"It's true, Captain Aizen. We weren't doing anything until they came up and started picking on Renji!" Momo added who was making her way closer until Izuru placed a hand on her shoulder. "We both saw it! It wasn't his fault!" She plead and narrowed her eyes at the one who was really responsible for this.

"They are also his friends, so of course they will take his side." The lieutenant stated and hid a smirk when it seemed like everyone in the entire fifth division showed up. This was his time to shine and show them who was in charge! "This isn't the first time Abarai has caused trouble, how many more fights does he have to be in until he is properly punished?" He declared and whispers were heard amongst the surrounding shinigami.

"Please release him," Captain Aizen requested as he walked up to the two and placed a hand on Renji's shoulder. Renji rubbed his wrist with his other hand and looked up at his captain. "I'm sorry," he whispered and Renji nodded sorrowfully. He knew he should have not allowed them to goad him into battle, but did it anyways. Now everything was for nothing.

The crowd parted as Captain Aizen escorted Renji towards the exit. He'd have to bring him into holding and alert the Captain Commander immediately of the situation and let him deal with it. Hopefully, another captain would willingly allow him into his or her division.

"You know I didn't want for this to happen, I feel as though I failed you, Abarai-san," Captain Aizen told the young man as they continued to walk towards the double doors.

"I know, you warned me and it didn't even matter in the end. They were targeting me!" Renji repeated and Captain Aizen nodded.

"I know, and I will make sure they do not go unpunished. However, it doesn't help with the other fight you were in this week. As much as I want to pardon you, the others will view it as special treatment and it could result in chaos." Aizen explained, sounding as sympathetic as he could. Inwardly, he was grinning. His useless lieutenant was useful for something. He knew if he pushed his second-in-command far enough he would eventually find a way to get back at Renji for making him look like a fool. As for the other shinigami, he could care less about him and doubted he survived for more than a few years.

Captain Aizen stared straight while his hand still rested on Renji's shoulder. He couldn't have manipulated things better even if he tried. Renji was Ichigo's best friend in the division and now with him gone, the boy would have no one else to turn to. He doubted he would warm up to Izuru or Momo since they had nothing in common. Now this would give him more of the boy's attention and hopefully, he'd be able to earn the boy's trust much faster without the distractions.

* * *

Sidenote: I am not personally picking on Renji, while doing research it said that he started in the fifth division, but got transferred to the eleventh due to getting into fights (just in case ppl didn't know). Also Aizen's reason for getting rid of Renji is more than just so Ichigo is alone, and in the next chapter Aizen really begins to manipulate Ichigo (and no he is not going to believe everything he hears right off the bat, but he does plant seeds of doubt

Hope ya enjoyed the chapter and please review. I am going to go take an extra long nap after working with major idiots at my work!


	10. Transfer

Special thanks to **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky****, ****Julian Carax****, ****charles123****, ****RuByMoOn17****, ****TsukiUchiha13****, ****Grinja****, ****Orchamus****, ****CalypsoHatesEveryone****, ****Takai153****, ****Vizardwannabe****, ****Ms. Unlucky****, ****Master Solo****, ****LvNa-cHaN****, ****Ace Aero****, ****Serenityhimesheppard****, ****BeccaBaby****, ****Appropriate Exclamation****, ****Living in Darkness****, ****Julespyo****, ****TealEyedBeing**, and **spedclass** for reviewing the last chapter! You guys are my motivation for getting these chapters up as fast as I can!

Big thanks to the Super fast beta-reader: **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky!**

* * *

Ichigo grumbled to himself as he entered the dormitory building in hopes of finding Renji. So far his search had been futile, and he hadn't even been able to find Momo or Izuru. However, he did notice groups of people watching him from their tables in the cafeteria, lounge, or in the study room. It was like as soon as he stepped into the room, all eyes were on him and whispers would be heard.

He didn't pay attention to what others were saying since he had grown somewhat used to it over the last few days. Since the mission in the forest, people had been whispering and staring at him when he entered the room. It was extremely annoying and he would glare and scowl at them until they turned around. At the moment, he didn't have the sort of time.

"Ichigo!" He heard a familiar voice shout and turned to see Momo running up behind him. A panic expression was on her face as she stopped before him and caught her breath.

"What's wrong?" Ichigo asked and hoped that she would get right to the point and not go off on a rambling. If that were the case, he'd leave her to talk to the wall.

"Those guys that were trying to pick a fight with Renji before did it again. It got really bad and Renji got blamed for the fight. Captain Aizen was forced to take him to the cells for the night. I saw the look in his eyes, he didn't want to do it, but he had to! The lieutenant and everyone else was there!" Momo looked as if she was about to cry. Ichigo's eyes widened as he looked down at her. That was why he couldn't find Renji anywhere!

"How long did they leave?" Ichigo demanded and Momo only shook her head.

"You won't be able to stop them. That stupid lieutenant put Captain Aizen on the spot and made him take Renji to the cells for fighting. Captain Aizen probably won't be back until tomorrow after Renji's hearing with the head captain," Momo informed him and watched as Ichigo cursed and slammed his fist into the wall. He winced in pain as his hand went through it and pulled back to find scratches all over his hand.

"I am sorry; Izuru and I have been trying to find you since it happened," Momo said to him and Ichigo shook his head.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow," Ichigo told her as he walked down the hall towards his and Renji's room and slammed the door. He didn't blame Momo for what had happened but wanted to be alone at the moment. Tomorrow he'd find his captain and find out exactly what happened and straighten out that Renji was not a danger to anyone… maybe himself, but not anyone else!

* * *

The next day, Renji's hands were cuffed together as he was escorted by a guard and his captain down to Captain Yamamoto's office in the first division. It was one of the rare times the head captain made a decision on his own. Since he hadn't killed anyone or broken a law, he wasn't sent to Central 46. In some cases that had been reported of others who had caused trouble in their squads, they were brought in front of all the captains and were told to plead their case. In some cases they were transferred to another division, imprisoned, or thrown into one of the lower Rukongai districts. There were other things he had heard about some severe cases that ended up in a place called the Maggot's Nest. He didn't know or want to find out what that place was like.

Renji felt his heart rate speed up as the guard opened the door and slightly shoved him forward. The room was semi-large, but very bare. He walked across the wooden floor that reflected the morning light coming in through the large windows to the left. In front of him was a desk with the head captain and his lieutenant standing behind him.

The red-head gulped at being in the presence of the most powerful shinigami in the entire Seireitei. The old man kept his eyes closed and his head straight even when the young man was in front of his desk. It was only then did the head captain open his left eye and look at him.

"Renji Abarai, it has been reported that you have been starting fights in your division," the head captain stated and Renji opened his mouth to plead his case. "I do not have to hear your excuses for the matter. You are a graduate of the shinigami academy and should know better than to act childish with your comrades," Captain Yamamoto declared and Renji closed his mouth.

"Captain Yamamoto, if I may interrupt for a moment." Captain Aizen requested in a soft tone. The head captain looked at the fifth captain and nodded. He could see the guilt written all over the brown haired man's face. "I feel it is my responsibility for what happened. If I had been paying more attention, the fights wouldn't have broken out. Please give Abarai-san another chance." Aizen requested as his bangs fell in front of his face. He already knew the answer the old man was going to give even before they stepped foot in the room. However, this would only help him.

"You have enough things to do, Captain Aizen. I have read the reports that you have warned him of what would happen if he started another fight and he ignored the warning. I will not risk him causing harm to your division," Captain Yamamoto stated and Renji lowered his gaze. He was not some roughen that went out causing trouble wherever he went. He had been tricked by those idiots, and now he was here because of them.

"I have spoken with Captain Kenpachi and he has agreed to take you into his division." Captain Yamamoto said to the young man who looked up. "Consider yourself lucky that we are not kicking you out or imprisoning you. However, if you continue to cause trouble, you will be taken to the Maggot's Nest for life," the old man told Renji and nodded towards the guard who began to drag the young man away.

Aizen sighed and shook his head. He continued to wear the look of disappointment when really he was grinning. "Do not blame yourself for what has happened," Captain Yamamoto told the younger captain.

"I feel as though I have failed him. He is a good kid, he just made bad a decision," Aizen replied and looked at the door before turning back towards the head captain. "Thank you for your time, I promise I will not allow another incident like this to happen again." Aizen bowed slightly before turning to leave, the look of guilt ridden from his face.

He found Renji in the hallway and caught up with him as he was being dragged by the guards towards the exit. He was to be taken to the eleventh division right away without saying good-bye to any of his friends. The red-head looked slightly surprised that Aizen had stopped them.

"Abarai-san, I just wanted to tell you, I am sorry for what has happened." Aizen bowed his head and placed a hand on Renji's shoulder. This was only icing on the cake, just in case he happened to talk to his orange-haired friend.

"I know you tried everything, I am sorry I didn't live up to your expectations." Renji sighed as the guards had finally had enough and began dragging him away. Aizen stood in the doorway of the first division and for the first time that morning let a smile play on his lips. Perfect.

**Later…**

Captain Aizen walked back towards his office with a small smile of satisfaction on his face. He played his part perfectly and the old fool still believed that he was a good man and would never harm a fly just like the rest of them. Only one person ever saw through him, his former captain, but he was no longer a problem. It was slightly disappointing that the experiments he performed on the old captains and lieutenants ended in failure, but there was plenty of time and resources to test on. It was amazing how so little attention was paid to those who went missing and presumed dead.

He gave a small nod to some of the low-ranked shinigami who bowed their heads to him. It was annoying to enlighten these bugs, but it was only temporary. After all, they would be killed along with majority of those who stood in his way to becoming a god. It was only a matter of time and waiting for the perfect opportunity. He knew he couldn't rush into things, he was not that careless. Though in the meantime, he found something else to hold his interest… or rather someone else.

He opened the door to his office and gave a surprised look to Ichigo who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and was tapping his fingers against his arm. So the boy found out about his friend, it was a shame, because he wanted to be the one to break it to him. Who knew what the boy had heard with these idiots running around and flapping their gums.

"Kurosaki-san, it is good to see you again." Captain Aizen greeted his pupil as he shut the door and started walking towards his desk. He turned around to see Ichigo push himself off the wall and walk towards him with an angry scowl across his face. "You seem even more distressed than the last time I saw you," he commented and Ichigo placed his hands on the back of the chair in front of the desk.

"Cut the crap," Ichigo snapped and Aizen's smile faded slightly. So, the kid thought he could snap at him, he'd have to fix that during training. "I know you know what happened to Renji. Momo told me that you took him out of the division last night and met with the old man this morning." He stated and Aizen nodded with a sigh.

"I am sorry you had to hear about the situation that way, Kurosaki-san." Aizen apologized as he watched Ichigo's hands clench the chair.

"What happened? He's coming back, right?" Ichigo asked and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the look of disappointment on Aizen's face. "What the hell? Renji may be an idiot, but he would never start a fight on purpose. Those assholes were bugging us on the mission and tried to start a fight with him there!" He defended his friend, not knowing it was already too late.

"Unfortunately, I had to take Abarai-san to containment for the night. I was ordered by the head captain to bring him along with an escort to the first division for the verdict of what was to happen to him." Aizen stated and then paused for a moment. The next few words he was about to say were very important and would aid him in turning the boy in his favor, as long as he phrased them right. "The situation was explained to him and I asked Captain Yamamoto to pardon Abarai-san this one time. I know he is a good man and had faith that the situation would never happen again." He sighed and took off his glasses to rub his eyes.

"Unfortunately, the head captain didn't have the same faith in your friend as I did and he was sent to the eleventh division." Aizen said and watched as Ichigo pulled the chair back and sat down in it. He placed his elbows on his knees and buried his head in his hands. Obviously, he was distraught from losing a friend and not being able to see him every day. A lose for Ichigo was a win for Aizen. Hopefully, it would cause the boy to concentrate more on his training than worrying about his worthless friends.

Ichigo let what Aizen said process in his mind. After all the worrying they had done at the academy about being separated, it took less than two weeks for it to happen anyways. Now who knew when the three of them could get together. From what he heard, the eleventh division was somewhat strict and fighting was going on almost every day to prove that the shinigami of that division were strong enough to be there. He had faith that Renji would be all right. He wasn't a push over and could handle himself, but who knew with everyone there.

His mind wondered to what Aizen had said about Captain Yamamoto. The man had made an obvious mistake. Renji belonged in the fifth division, as did Rukia but she was enjoying herself in the thirteenth. They were like brothers and now he had no one to tease or smack in the middle of the night when the idiot tried to wake him up. He looked up at Aizen who had now taken a seat behind his desk and had his hands folded.

"What if… what if I talked to him and explained everything? I mean, Momo and Izuru could also help. We know Renji better than he does. He can't just make decisions based on a few fights. He isn't a bad person!" Ichigo tried to persuade Captain Aizen, but the older man only shook his head.

"I tried to plead for Abarai-san's case, but the head captain would not change his mind. He and Central 46 make the rules, and unfortunately, they cannot be changed once they are decided." Aizen stated and watched as Ichigo's eyes darkened somewhat. Good, the boy obviously caught the meaning of his words.

"Well, they are wrong!" Ichigo snapped and looked towards the door with frustration.

"There are many things that are decided for us that we have no power over. Look at the Rukongai district," Aizen said and was a bit surprised at how fast it caught Ichigo's attention. Interesting…

"There is a lot of violence that happens within the Rukongai limits and it is only when something serious happens do the shinigami investigate. We could do so much more for those people but we are only allowed to go when ordered. It is why so many there hate us." Aizen stated and Ichigo lowered his head so his hair was covering his eyes. What his captain said was true and he had seen evidence of that with his own eyes.

The young man fisted the fabric of his hakama in frustration. This was stupid, that they had to sit around and train, while innocent people were being abused in the Rukongai all because some old men didn't feel it was their responsibility to clean it up. He felt a twinge of hatred in his chest but breathed in to release it. There was nothing he could do, for now.

"Someone needs to do something," Ichigo murmured and Aizen smiled down at the boy. He may not have gotten a lot of information from Ichigo's reaction, but it was still something he could work off of. Not to mention, it helped to put doubt about the Gotei thirteen. He knew if he threw in little tid bits here and there the boy would eventually see things his way, but it would take time. If he rushed it, the boy may grow suspicious and turn against him.

"I agree with you, Kurosaki-san. Perhaps in time someone will come along and clean up what they wish to ignore." Captain Aizen replied and stood up from his desk and walked over to the bookshelf. "I have an hour before a meeting; do you wish to get some practice in for the day?" He asked, though already knowing the answer. He already fueled the boy with frustration and knew he'd be more determined than ever. He smirked when Ichigo nodded and got up from his seat. If he had known this was all it took to get the boy's attention, he would have done away with his friend a while ago.

**Thirteenth Division**

Rukia was relaxing outside underneath a tree with her eyes closed. It was a nice day and majority of the division was taking it easy. Captain Ukitake was catching up on paper work that had been delayed since his sickness that Kaien couldn't finish. She had to admit, it had been nice here ever since her first day. Sure not everyone accepted her and she was still criticized as being the 'Kuchiki Princess' but she was able to get along well with several shinigami.

She had quickly become friends with the two fourth seats who constantly bantered back and forth. Of course, they were friendly with everyone, but they were willing to joke around with her. She hadn't seen much of Miyako other than the few times the third seat was around Kaien. Speaking of her lieutenant, she would usually trained with him every other day for a short while if he had the time. She didn't blame him if he couldn't do it for certain days and was very grateful that he was willing to take the time to help her.

"Daydreaming, are we?" She heard a voice and opened her eyes to see Kaien standing over her with a raised eyebrow. In his hands he held two cups of tea and lowered one to her.

"I wasn't daydreaming, I was thinking." Rukia defended herself as she took the cup. "Thanks." She whispered and placed it to her lips and took a sip. She watched as he took a seat next to her and let out a small sigh. It looked as if something was bothering him.

"Is something wrong?" She asked him and he frowned. It was a rare sight since he was always so cheerful and full of life.

"You're friends with Renji Abarai, right?" He asked and she felt her heart stop for a moment. Immediately horrible images started running through her head of what could have happened to her long time friend. Her first thought was he had been hurt or worse, but they hadn't gone on any missions and Ichigo would have hunted her down if something happened to the red-head. The next thing she thought of was of what they talked about the last time they met. Renji was on probation and if he got into any more fights that would be it.

"Yes," she whispered and watched as he shook his head, obviously not wanting to have to deliver the bad news.

"I got word this morning that he started a fight in the fifth division yesterday and they are sending him to the eleventh." He said as he looked down at her and watched as the cup fell out of her grasp. He had been expecting a shocked expression from her, but wasn't exactly sure how she would react. Would she throw a fit and deny it, yell and scream or break down and cry. He hadn't known her that long to know how she would react to the news, but from what he knew, she was somewhat quiet and that was how she was right now.

Rukia shook her head and lowered her gaze. All that talk about avoiding fights and yet the idiot had gotten himself kicked out. All that hard work he had done in the academy and had gotten into a very good division and he threw it away over something so petty. Now, who knew what was going to happen to him. The eleventh division was very ruthless and many of its members would end up in the fourth division for healing after their sparring match. They hated weakness and it made her fear that it could change him. Sure, he enjoyed a fight occasionally, but there it was non-stop.

"I see," she whispered and didn't look up at her lieutenant. She'd have to wait all week and hope that Renji showed up at the bar for their meeting. Her thoughts wandered to Ichigo and wondered how he was taking it and why he didn't stop the fight. She sighed and leaned back, knowing she'd have to wait to find out the answer in a few days unless she was able to get a hold of a Hell Butterfly and send a message to him, though she'd rather ask in person.

**Eleventh Division**

Renji opened the doors to his new division and noticed the changes already. The fifth had a home feel to it. This one didn't even have grass, only sand in certain areas and he could hear men fighting in the distance. The building structure was the same, except they seemed much dirtier on the outside than the fifth. He shrugged, it didn't matter. This was going to be his new home for quite a while. He doubted he'd be able to move to a different division after what had just happened.

"You must be the new guy," he heard a female voice say cheerfully and looked around. He took a step back until he felt something land on his shoulder and looked to his right to see a girl with pink hair smiling at him. He gave a confused look at her and thought that perhaps she had followed him in.

"Ugh, who are you?" Renji asked as the little girl giggled and jumped off his shoulder and turned around.

"I am lieutenant Yachiru of the eleventh division; it is nice to meet you Red!" Yachiru greeted him and already assigned him his new name. Renji gave a confused look as he stared at the young girl. There was no way she was the lieutenant, maybe the captain's daughter, but there was no way a girl this young could have made lieutenant.

"Ya got the same look I did when I first entered here and saw that brat was the lieutenant." He heard a voice say and looked up to see two men walking towards him. One had his sheathed Zanpakutou draped over his shoulder and was bald. The other had a feather on one eyebrow and hair that barely came down to his shoulders.

"I already met him, baldy. You can go back to getting your butt kicked by some of the others." Yachiru smiled at the other man who narrowed his eyes at her. He felt his lip twitch and resisted the urge to unsheathe his Zanpakutou on the brat.

"Ugh, I'm Renji Abarai. I just got transferred here," Renji stated, almost feeling the tension in the air. The little girl looked at him with curiosity and then shook her head.

"We already know that, Kenny said you'd probably wouldn't be a challenge yet." Yachiru said with a smile and Renji stared down at her. Everyone in the Seireitei had heard of Kenpachi Zaraki and knew not to mess with the man. He craved fighting and was always looking for an opponent who would give him a challenge. To hear this child talk about him like he was friendly was a bit startling.

"I'm Ikkaku Madarame, the third seat, and this is Yumichika Ayasegawa, the fifth seat. We'll take ya to your room and then the others want to meet ya," Ikkaku ordered as the new recruit walked by the little girl, as if not trusting to turn his back on her. The last thing they needed was for Yachiru to show Renji around, they'd be wandering around the division lost for hours.

"Do you always keep your hair up like that?" Yumichika asked as he placed a hand on his hip and observed Renji. The red-head looked confused and Ikkaku ignored the two and began walking towards the main building. "Maybe we can style it a bit later; you have nice hair, but it does not help if you keep it tied up like that." He commented. Renji ignored the comment about his hair and wondered how this guy got into the eleventh division. For a place that was supposed to be barbaric, this guy looked like he belonged in the fourth division instead.

"You'll find a lot of things different around here. The only person who has a larger room is the captain, the rest of us sleep in bunks since we don't spend a lot of time there. In the morning there is a routine work out for two hours, then lunch and followed by sparring, after that there is training, and so on," Ikkaku explained to Renji who had caught up with him.

"And one other thing that you should know: do not start a fight with the captain unless you have a death wish." He warned, though Renji had already known this. Everyone knew that. He just hoped he didn't draw attention to himself here like in his previous division.

He sighed sadly knowing he was all alone here. No Ichigo, Momo, or Izuru, heck he didn't even know anyone from the academy that was transferred here. On the other hand, it could be a good thing; maybe here he wouldn't have to worry about idiots picking on him for stupid reasons. Besides, if Rukia was able to be in a separate division from her friends, then so could he. He'd find a way to make it work, or at least until he was allowed to transfer out of here.

* * *

Everyone was in bed and sleeping soundly except for a few people. Captain Aizen sat at his desk with a cup of tea in his hands and taking small sips. Everything was right on track, and he even noticed the boy was more focused as he predicted he would be after losing his friend. It amazed him how everything was going so easy, then again, the old fool also contributed. He knew Captain Yamamoto would move Renji to another division without listening to reason and it only made him look better when he defended the young shinigami. He knew even though Renji and Ichigo were in different divisions, they would still meet like they do with the Kuchiki girl. His story was backed up and it only planted more seeds of doubt against the Gotei 13.

"That wasn't too nice of ya, Captain Aizen." He heard from the door and glanced over at the shadows, though already knowing it was Gin. His smile never faltered as he poured his friend a cup of tea when he approached the desk.

"Some things are necessary." Aizen replied as he kept his hand locked around the warm cup.

"Takin' the poor kid's friend away, he's gonna be so bored," Gin said with a grin as he sat down across from the other man. His ex-captain informed him of all the information of what was going on. He knew better than anyone did if Aizen wanted something, he took it regardless of who got hurt. It also helped that his naïve lieutenant took the bait and goaded the other shinigami to start a fight with Renji.

"That is the idea, with no one else to turn to; he'll seek me out for more training. Then I'll be able to turn him over to our side little by little," Aizen replied and took a sip of his tea.

"Ya think Urahara's gonna come after him? I know Tousen is tryin' ta find when he found the kid, but hasn't had much luck so far." The silver hair man added taking the cup of tea. It would be rude to not take it.

"Even if he wanted to, he isn't stupid enough to enter Soul Society. If anything he'd send someone else to retrieve the boy," Aizen said and placed the empty cup down. "I have yet to question the boy about the ex-captain, but it is too soon." He sighed and leaned back in his seat. He wondered what interest Urahara had in the boy before he was exiled or if he had any idea of where Ichigo had been placed after graduating from the academy. Well it was still early and there was plenty of time to find out.

* * *

A/N: I just checked my notes and I am actually behind on this story since I've been adding different things here and there that were originally planned. I think this is the first time it has ever happened, usually I come up short.

Hope ya enjoyed the chapter and please review


	11. Forgotten

Special thanks to **animelover1993****, ****RuByMoOn17****, ****Orchamus****, ****Grinja****, ****charles123****, ****BeccaBaby****, ****Mel72000****, ****Julian Carax****, ****Takai153****, ****Living in Darkness****, ****TealEyedBeing****, ****LvNa-cHaN****, ****kobisaki****, girl** (we shall see!), and **Appropriate Exclamation** for reviewing the last chapter! I very much appreciate your feedback! Plushies for all!

Another special thanks to the awesome **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for beta-reading this chapter!

* * *

Ichigo groaned as he was slammed into the wall with a forceful impact. His hand was still clenching Zangetsu as he got to his feet rapidly to race at the hollow-like creature in front of him. He held his Zanpakutou in front of him in a defensive position and could see Captain Aizen out of the corner of his eyes drinking his tea at the small table of the training room. He narrowed his eyes for a moment at his captain before he set his sights on the creature before him.

The hollow was the same height as him with a white mask in the form of a frog. Its green-clawed hands matched the rest of its body as he began to approach Ichigo once more. The young shinigami narrowed his eyes and charged the hollow with the intention of slicing its mask in half. The stupid creature had gotten the upper hand on him earlier because it formed behind him and he barely had time to unravel Zangetsu before it struck. Luckily, those sharp claws only made contact with his sword and nothing else. However, its tail had swung out and smacked him against the wall that put him in the position he now was in.

The hollow roared and swiped its claws at him, but he took that moment to duck under the claws. He saw his opening and thrust his Zanpakutou through the hollow's head and broke the mask. He smirked at the creature before he pulled his blade back and swung it over his shoulder to look at his instructor.

"That wasn't so hard," Ichigo said cocky, turning his back on the creature that should be disappearing. Captain Aizen's regular smile faded into a frown and he shook his head as he laid his cup on the table.

"You technique was sloppy. Even if it was an easy kill, I counted quite a few mistakes." Captain Aizen revealed and deflated Ichigo's ego slightly. The younger shinigami growled and thrust Zangetsu into the ground and leaned against it slightly.

"I killed it, that's what important!" Ichigo argued before he heard growling behind him. His eyes widened as he turned around to see the hollow that was supposed to be dead.

"You rigid it! Hollows are supposed to die once you slice its mask in half!" Ichigo growled as he raised Zangetsu up in a defensive position as the hollow charged him once more.

Aizen watched the boy fight against the hollow once more. He was able to block attacks that the hollow aimed at him; however, he also took whatever chance he had to swing at the hollow without calculation. A highly skilled shinigami knew when to strike and should only have to use his or her Zanpakutou once to destroy a hollow of this caliber.

"Never assume that you have defeated an enemy unless you are fully aware that it is gone," Aizen stated as he leaned his elbow on the table and rested his chin against his fingers as he watched Ichigo fight the hollow.

"Whatever," Ichigo growled as he sliced the hollow's arm off, but within a few seconds a new one grew back. He cursed under his breath as the hollow flexed its new hand and glared down at him. He had been taking quick glances at the clock every now and then to see the time. It was Saturday and he had to meet his friends.

Ichigo charged at the hollow and sliced through the hollows mask once more and barely missed being hit by its claws. He withdrew Zangetsu from its neck and chopped its head off for good measures. He didn't want to spend all day fighting one pathetic hollow.

He watched as the head disappeared but the body remained and looked down curiously at it. "I thought this was supposed to act like a real hollow?" Ichigo asked as he looked over at Captain Aizen who had finally gotten off his chair and was walking his way. The friendly smile had returned to the older man's face.

Ichigo looked down at the hollow and saw it begin to regenerate and cursed. He held Zangetsu in front of him once more as the hollow regained its head and roared at him. It took one step forward before it froze and stared straight at Ichigo.

The young shinigami blinked once, then twice as blood spurted from the hollow and he saw behind the creature his captain was standing and resealing his Zanpakutou. The hollow cried before it disbursed into tiny particles.

"It's still cheating when you are the one that created it," Ichigo grumbled and rolled his eyes. His captain had showed him a kido technique that would allow him plenty of practice against hollows, however, it didn't matter how many times he sliced it through its mask, the creature would never go down.

"That is not the point. You will tire yourself out if you continue to fight aimlessly. You need to observe your target and watch every move it makes from taking one step forward to its breathing. The fighting you just performed is what the eleventh division performs. And although they are a powerful division, there are many openings that they leave while in battle. If I were to fight you right now, even if I didn't have captain's strength, I could easily defeat you," Captain Aizen stated as he turned to look at Ichigo with his right hand still on the hilt of Kyōka Suigetsu. It was a small test that didn't matter how it went either way. If the boy took the bait and charged him, he'd easily put the boy in his place, if not, then obviously Ichigo wasn't going to argue with him.

Ichigo's eye twitched at the comment about his fighting technique. A part of him called to challenge Aizen, but the other told just to listen. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and chose the latter, for now.

"Now let's move onto a Hakuda session," Aizen stated and was about to conjure another kido spell when Ichigo interrupted him.

"Actually, we can wait till next time. I promised I'd meet my friends," Ichigo replied as he began wrapping up Zangetsu. He turned his back on his captain and missed the small look of annoyance that crossed his face. Even with Abarai gone they were still a distraction to Ichigo. However, it was only one day, and if it kept up, he'd find a way to separate them.

"That is fine. Wish Abarai-san luck from me," Captain Aizen requested and Ichigo nodded. The boy left, leaving Aizen in the small training area. He was beginning to feel as though he was going too easy on the boy, and in this case, he would never learn anything. Sure, he proved to be a fast learner and demonstrate what he learned, however, it was all on his terms. Things would need to change.

For now, he had his lieutenant he needed to deal with.

* * *

Ichigo walked into the bar he had promised to meet his friends at and saw the black-haired girl sitting by herself at a table. Her eyes were watching Rangiku and Shūhei chatting while drinking as much sake as they could handle before they passed out.

"Hey, where's Renji?" Ichigo asked his friend as he took a seat next to her and her eyes narrowed at him. Obviously, she didn't know what had happened, and there was no way she could have.

"From what I heard he got transferred to the eleventh division, what happened?" Rukia asked, keeping her voice calm. She settled her hands on the table, though still feeling a bit uneasy like she had been all week since she had heard what happened to her red-headed friend.

"He got into a fight with these assholes that are in our division. At least that's what I heard. I was busy when it happened, but Momo and Izuru were there. They said they tried to break it up, but one of those guys punched Izuru and Renji lost it. By the time everyone found them, they were blaming Renji for starting the whole thing," Ichigo said bitterly. If he had been there, he would have pounded those idiots into the ground for just looking at his friends. The worst part was, he knew something was going on, but wasn't able to stop it.

Rukia remained quiet as she shook her head. It seemed like for all of them, no matter how far they got, childish things such as this would always follow them. Now she had to worry about Renji not being beaten up by someone stronger than him in the eleventh division.

The door opened and a tired looking Renji staggered in. Having spotted his friends in a different spot than normal, he walked over towards them before flopping down in his chair, exhausted. Neither of his friends spoke and instead looked at him as his head hit the table.

"Renji," Rukia poked her friend in the shoulder that only caused him to groan. She looked over at Ichigo who narrowed his eyes at his friend and grabbed a hold of the redhead's ponytail and brought his head up. Renji growled and smacked his hand away before sitting up, though his eyes still told them he looked to be minutes away from sleeping.

"What?" Renji muttered as he rubbed his head and they looked dumbstruck as they stared at him.

"What do you mean 'what'? We've been wondering how you have been since you transferred and that's all you can say?" Rukia scolded him and Renji simply yawned at her.

"It's hell. Every single day is nothing but training, training, and more training. The only time we ever stop is when we're eating or sleeping," Renji murmured before a smirk spread across his face as he looked at Ichigo. "I bet I'll be able to kick your ass in a matter of no time." He grinned and Ichigo wanted to laugh at his friend. From what Aizen told him, the eleventh division only teaches its officers to fight wildly and have a constant need for battle. They may have been the fiercest division but it didn't mean they were the most powerful. Not that he'd ever go head to head with his friend.

"So, how are things there?" Renji asked Ichigo as he waved to the bartender for a drink.

"Eh, same as usual: boring." Ichigo replied casually before he noticed Rukia freeze and her eyes widen. "What's wrong with you?" He asked the black-haired girl just as two figures walked up to their table.

"Hey Kuchiki, I didn't know you come here," Kaien Shiba said cheerfully with his wife, Miyako, next to him smiling at the group. The two boys sitting at the table stared at the stranger and looked suspiciously at him.

"Yeah, we usually come here to hang out," Rukia blushed slightly and berated herself for it. "Ugh, Ichigo, Renji, this is my lieutenant Kaien Shiba and third seat Miyako." She introduced them and Kaien shook hands with Renji and stopped when he got to Ichigo.

Miyako looked at the two and had to hide a smile as they stared at one another. It was eerie how close the two looked alike. "Are you two related?" She finally asked and broke up the silence.

Kaien scratched his head and stood up straight as he looked down at Ichigo who scowled at the woman. "Not unless we have relatives that I don't know about." He commented and then chuckled goodheartedly. "What's your last name?" He asked.

Ichigo stared at the man for a moment and completely ignored the question. He didn't know too much about his family, only the bits and pieces his mother had told him when he was little. And this man, Rukia's lieutenant, did look very similar to him if it wasn't for the hair difference. "Kurosaki," Ichigo replied and Kaien frowned as he looked like he was searching through his mind if the name sounded familiar.

"Hm, no that name doesn't ring a bell. I don't know, maybe you're some distant long lost cousin." Kaien laughed as he slapped Ichigo across the back and sent the orange-haired shinigami forward, having not expected the move. Ichigo grumbled to himself, but it went ignored by the table.

"Well, I'll see you on Monday, Kuchiki. It was nice meeting you all!" Kaien waved to the group as he and Miyako moved towards the back end of the bar. Both sets of eyes turned towards Ichigo who had crossed his arms over his chest and was scowling.

"What's with you, he is nice." Rukia said to Ichigo and was ready to kick him under the table if he insulted her lieutenant. At least he was nicer than the one in the fifth.

"It's weird how he looks like me," Ichigo grumbled and looked over to where Kaien was sitting with his wife. He noticed the black haired lieutenant was staring at him and turned his head quickly when he realized he was spotted.

"Yeah, I'm sure he saw your face and realized that was the look for him because everyone wants to look like you." Renji rolled his eyes at his friend as he mocked him.

"Don't start," Rukia sighed as she smelled a fight forming right in front of her. She guessed it didn't matter how long they all stayed apart, some thing's would never change and they'd never grow up. "Why don't you tell us about the eleventh division, besides the fact all you do is fight. There has to be something more to it than that," Rukia told her friend who frowned at her.

"Not really, the third and fifth seats are alright. The lieutenant is as creepy as the captain." Renji shuddered seeing the large man walk in the second day he had been there during lunch with the little pink haired girl on his shoulder. He felt like a mere insect compared to him, and it didn't lighten the mood any when the lieutenant called him Red and waved.

"Neither of you would survive in there," Renji said with a small smirk as he leaned back. Both Rukia and Ichigo narrowed their eyes at their friend during one of his cocky moods. First, the red head tells them it is hectic and then says they couldn't handle it…

"Then why did you look so stressed when you first walked in?" Ichigo asked him with a small smirk of his own.

"Because I was training, it's a lot more than what we did at the fifth. Like I said, I'll be able to beat you in no time," Renji stated as he leaned forward to antagonize Ichigo some more. Rukia placed her hand on the side of her face wondering if she should allow this to go on or try to break it up.

"Che, like that will ever happen." Ichigo grinned at Renji who narrowed his eyes. It was just like at the academy, always challenging each other, but Ichigo was usually one-step ahead of him.

"Fine, how about we place a bet. In a few years we'll battle to see who is the strongest one." Renji challenged Ichigo who he knew would not refuse. He stuck his hand out for Ichigo to take and accept.

"You're on, what does the winner get?" Ichigo took Renji's hand and shook it. "Or should I say, what do I get when I kicked your ass and you're crying about it," he corrected himself and saw the twitch in Renji's eye. He knew from this day on, they'd both be practicing non-stop to beat the other.

Rukia sighed as the two idiots beside her made their bet. Though it would be interesting to see how far each of them would have come by then. She inwardly smirked at the thought of watching those two fight, and then bringing them both down herself after her training with Kaien.

"When you lose, you have to spend the day learning how to draw Chappy," Renji replied thinking of something off the top of his head. Unfortunately, Rukia had been sitting right there and gave him the idea.

"I already know how to draw the crappy little bunny better than she does. Think of something better," Ichigo replied and he felt a slap to the side of his face the same time Renji did.

"I am sitting right here and can hear every word you idiots were saying. Don't involve me in your little fight." Rukia glared at the two of them that were rubbing their cheek. She turned and pointed at Ichigo. "And you could never draw as well as I do! I'll have you know everyone else in my squad thinks Chappy is adorable." She retorted and felt like slapping Ichigo across the head once more when he gave her a yeah-right look.

"Are they all blind?" Ichigo muttered to himself, but loud enough for Rukia to hear. It was fun teasing the midget and it was distracting them from their other conversation.

"Are you alright?" Miyako asked Kaien as she placed a hand on his arm that caused him to turn around once more. Since they had entered the bar and met with Rukia's friends, he had been staring at the orange-haired shinigami that resembled him.

"Yeah, it's nothing." Kaien smiled at his wife before taking one last glance at Ichigo before returning to their previous conversation.

**Karakura Town**

A little black-haired girl with dull eyes lifted a box from the storage closet. For any normal little girl, it would be too heavy; however, for her it felt light as a feather. She could hear the grumbling of her companion, a red-haired boy who was digging through some of the other boxes and making a mess.

"Jinta, Tessai-san and Urahara-san will be mad if you make a mess," Ururu whispered, but it did not stop the boy's wreckage through the supplies.

"Yeah, yeah, I don't see why we have to restock the place when nobody ever buys anything from here," Jinta muttered and Ururu sighed as she walked out of the closet with the box. Tessai was in the kitchen preparing lunch before Urahara returned.

Ururu set the box down and started going through it and replacing anything that was outdated and throwing the old stuff in the trash. As soon as she reached the bottom, she found a small black box and stared at it in confusion. Why was this placed here? She was trying to make sure all the older stuff was taken first and took the box from the bottom. This shouldn't be in here.

She picked up the small box and was about to open it when Kisuke Urahara slid the door open and smiled down at Ururu. "Hey, you found it! I've been looking for this for a while," he said happily as he took the small box from the little girl.

"What is inside it?" Ururu asked him politely.

"Oh just a piece of junk that I've been meaning to get rid of for a while," Urahara's smile wavered as he looked down at the box. It was the truth.

"Do you want me to get rid of it for you?" Ururu asked him and he placed a hand on the top of her black hair and ruffled it.

"Nah, that's alright. I can do it," Urahara replied as he walked off leaving Ururu confused, but the little girl only shrugged and went back to doing her chores.

Kisuke opened the door to his room and slid the door closed behind him. He turned to look around his room while still holding the small black box in his hands. There had to be a safer place for _it_, but for now it would remain in his room where nobody could get by unless he noticed.

He walked over to the closet on the far side of the room, slid it open and crouched. A small safe was in the back of his closet that he had created that would only open to his reiatsu. He placed his hand over the area and the dial turned left, right, and then left once more before popping open. He moved forward to place the small box inside, but hesitated for a moment. He looked down at the thing that had caused more problems than it was worth.

Urahara sighed as he lifted the lid off and revealed a small globe inside: the Hogyoku. He reached down and lifted it until he was eye level with the small orb. Questions had often plagued him since he had been exiled from the Soul Society. One that had been most persistent had come up only two weeks after his exile.

"_Ah, new home-sweet-home," Urahara smiled as he opened the doors to his new shop. It was completely bare with the exception of a few shelves that were lined across the wall. Still, it was better than anywhere else, and he would be able to do some work here without any disturbances. _

"_Shall I start locating some furniture, sir?" Tessai asked as the two entered the small shop. The blond man only grinned as he walked over to a bench that was in the back of the shop and sat down. Yep, this place was perfect, not only because it was in a convent location where many people couldn't grow suspicious of him, but the town had higher spiritual pressure than normal. _

"_We will, let's just relax for now," Urahara replied as he leaned back relaxing and closed his eyes for a brief moment before he felt familiar reiatsu heading their way. It was another reason why he had chosen this town. _

_Tessai went to slide the door closed, but before it completely shut, a foot blocked the way and the larger man looked down at the person in the way. The ex-kido corp captain looked a bit surprised to see the visitors, though he knew he shouldn't be. After all, they weren't the only ones that had been exiles from the Soul Society. _

_Urahara sat up slowly and stared at the shoe that was flying at his face. He knew he could avoid such a simple attack, but at the same time, he knew his ex-lieutenant would go into a hissy fit and try to beat him up regardless. He sighed as he allowed the foot to connect with his head and fell backwards. _

"_It's always a pleasure, Hiyori-san," Urahara grinned and the blonde girl who glared down at him before she bent down and grabbed his shirt and held his face close to hers. Obviously, her temper hadn't changed since the last time he saw her. _

"_Shut up, dumbass! I'm not here to see you, I came to-" Hiyori yelled when another figure entered the shop and stood next to Tessai while scratching the back of his head. _

"_Annoying as ever," Shinji sighed as Tessai greeted the ex-fifth captain. The young girl glared at the long-haired man as she let go of Urahara's shirt. _

"_I told you to stay outside!" Hiyori yelled and pointed at the man that annoyed her more than anyone else. Even in the Soul Society, the blond took every chance he got to antagonize her. _

"_I don't know why you made me come with you, you knew where he was." Shinji yawned before he looked over at the young girl and prepared himself for a slap with her shoe at any moment. Oddly enough, she for once had more self-control than normal, though it would most likely come out later. _

_Hiyori looked down at Urahara once more and allowed him to sit up as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm not here to greet you like old friends; I wanted to know if you grabbed the kid before you left." Hiyori's eyes narrowed at her ex-captain whose usual happy grin slowly disappeared_.

"_What kid?" Shinji asked as Hiyori backed away from Urahara and sent the long-haired man a 'shut up or I'll kick your face in' glare. _

"_Unfortunately, Kurosaki-san had disappeared from the fourth division before I could bring him with me," Urahara replied with a bit of disappointment laced in his voice. It had been sudden and he hadn't been expecting to leave the Soul Society so soon. Even still, he knew where the boy had been, but obviously, the news of his supposed crime had startled him into running off somewhere. He hadn't felt any traces of the boy's reiatsu anywhere in the Seireitei and knew he had to have gone into the Rukongai. _

_Hiyori's eyes narrowed and her hand clenched into a fist before she pointed at Urahara. "You better hope nothing happens to him or-" Hiyori told him, but Urahara cut her off. He already knew the consequences if something happened to Ichigo_.

"_I know, and luckily Captain Unohana has some idea and will go after him," Urahara replied._

"_What is so special about this kid you guys are talking about?" Shinji asked, finally breaking the conversation up and ending his own confusion. The short girl hadn't mentioned anything about this since they arrived in Karakura Town, and had said they were going to see Urahara. _

_Hiyori yanked Shinji's hair, causing the older man to yelp and was about to retaliate before she whispered something in his ear. His eyes remained passive until they suddenly widened and he stared at Urahara. "Shit, you better get that kid out of there before Aizen finds him!" The ex-captain said as he straightened up and stared at Urahara. _

"_Unfortunately, they have placed a block so I cannot return there, like you guys. I told Yoruichi about it and she has some contacts that are willing to help. At least, until I find a way to get him out of there. Hopefully he remains out of the spotlight for a while, but knowing Kurosaki-san, that won't be happening." Urahara replied determinedly. The boy's reiatsu was strong, but it shouldn't draw anyone's attention quite yet. _

Urahara continued to stare down at the Hogyoku for a moment before he placed the orb in the safe and locked it. The thing had to be destroyed, but unfortunately, every attempt he made ended it failure. There had to be another way around the cursed thing. However, for now he'd keep it locked up until another idea came to him. For now, he'd wait for Yoruichi to return with news from the Soul Society and where Ichigo was currently at.

* * *

A/N: I want to make something clear, I am following the manga from the past (or before Rukia met Ichigo in the canon) so whatever is going on in the manga at the moment has nothing to do with this fic, especially since I've already planned this story out and am not going to work the current canon into here. Also, the flashback scene in this chapter was taken right after Urahara and Tessai were exiled, and the none was present time. There has also been some changes done to chapter five, Renji and some of the others don't have their Shikai yet, but I' letting Icihgo keep his since it's always been in a constant state and its name, however anything else to do with Zangetsu he has no idea about, yet

Also, Mr F U, if you are reading this, can you be more specific on why this fic is stupid? Just saying this fic is a piece of garbage doesn't really give me any idea on why you don't like it.

Thank you for reading, hope you all enjoyed and please review!


	12. Preparation

Special thanks to **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky, RuByMoOn17, Grinja, animelover1993, TealEyedBeing, Orchamus, LvNa-cHaN, KitsuneNaru, Ubernaut, Master Solo, Mel72000, charles123, Living in Darkness, Lilice_G_D** (of course you can ^^), **Takai153, Yue Asahi, Appropriate Exclamation, avatarofdiscord, kobisaki, Akira Stridder, Cocoasit, SakaSandora, and** **icywarm**for taking the time to review and catching somethings that i might have missed! I really appreciate all of your input!

I am sorry this chapter is late, but this one was a pain to write. I don't think I've ever done so much construction on one chapter alone -_- I wrote this chapter, didn't like it, rewrote it, then did even more deleting and rewriting to it, which is why it is coming out so late. I promise the next will be up sooner.

There is a bit of a time skip, however, with any important training or event that happened will be brought up or shown in a flashback.

Thanks **Mint** for betaing this chapter.

Five years slowly passed for some and faster for others. For regular shinigami, they didn't notice a difference. Rukia was still unable to acquire an officer's position despite all the hard work she had done with Kaien. She didn't understand it, she knew she had improved since her first day in the thirteenth division and was stronger than some of the officers, but Captain Ukitake refused to give her a position. For a while, she felt it was her, and that she'd never be able to face her brother. Captain Kuchiki refused to look at her, and many times, she refused to go home and face the guilt of failing him.

Renji was adapting to the eleventh division better than expected. He didn't get into any petty fights with idiots wanting to pick a fight with him for no reason. In fact, he found many that he could relate to. Many in the eleventh division were from the poorer areas of the Rukongai districts and didn't put up with any crap that a noble snob gave them. He still did his best to avoid the captain, despite Kenpachi watching him in the training area. Obviously, he still wasn't strong enough for the captain to want to challenge him, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Many changes occurred in the fifth division since Ichigo had made his bet with Renji. For one, he was no longer the eighth seat, and was now the fifth with Momo being fourth. Izuru transferred to the fourth division not too long ago, but his friends knew he probably wouldn't stay there long. The reason why was because he wanted to learn more healing kido and what better place to learn it than in the division that specialized in it. Several other changes occurred, such as the little gang that had picked a fight with Renji had disappeared. Some had said that the group had given up on being shinigami and returned home to their rich family, while others said that they were eaten by hollows. No one knew what really happened since the day others found their room empty. As for Ichigo, he had concentrated on his training while doing his usual duties around the division. However, lately, it had been getting harder…

Ichigo's tired eye opened as he gazed across the room. Someone was pounding on his door as a wake-up call and he felt like kicking the lunatic in the face. He knew it was not their fault, and they were assigned to do it, but he'd rather try to go back to sleep. He turned over in his bed with the feeling exhaustion hitting him and rested his wrist across his sweaty forehead.

The night had been like the previous nights before for the past week. Every time he went to sleep, his nightmares returned, but were slowly getting worse. It was nothing new, he was used to them, but they were getting more frequent. It was during meals or whenever he wasn't moving that he would start to doze off, but the only one to notice this was Momo. She constantly told him that he didn't look good and maybe he should go to the fourth division, but the advice went ignored. He was fine, or at least as long as he kept moving.

He finally pulled himself out of bed and rubbed his eyes. The sun was shining brightly through his window it only seemed to irritate him more. He grabbed his clothes and headed for the bathhouse, hoping that no one was there. Since his lack of sleep, he had been becoming more irritated with others, especially when they came up to him and asked him about some of the missions he had gone on. Luckily, he was able to move in and out without much interference from others until he started heading for Aizen's office.

He entered the building finding it mostly deserted with the exception of a lone figure by himself. He looked at the man who gave him a small smile before casting his eyes down. This shy intimidated man was the replacement for the old lieutenant, and even though he seemed very mousy and didn't speak much, he was better than the previous one. It was very odd what had happened to the last one, but things happen during missions. He along with a small group of newcomers ventured into the lower Rukongai districts to investigate the claims of people disappearing, only to meet the same fate. The Gotei 13 had gone on alert since then and sent in different squads of people to investigate, but there were no traces of Ichigo's former lieutenant or the others. Central 46 was alerted of the situation, but they dismissed the claims after finding no evidence of the missing people.

He walked down the hallway until he reached Captain Aizen's office to find it empty. It was no surprise, there was a captain's meeting going on at the moment, but knew he'd probably come down to the training room to tell the younger man what he was doing wrong. However, those comments had been becoming less frequent after the first five months of training. He had already noticed a few improvements through the years, especially in his flash step. Kido was one thing Aizen refused to teach him until he learned reiatsu control, which he was still working on. It seemed like everytime he'd be able to gain control, more reiatsu would leak from him.

Ichigo walked down the stairs until he was in the empty training room. He smirked to himself as he placed Zangetsu on the ground and began to stretch his legs and arms. He knew he was supposed to be practicing reiatsu control as Aizen had instructed him, but he had grown bored with it. Not to mention, with how he was now, he'd end up falling asleep.

He turned his attention to Zangetsu and smirked as he picked up the large blade and stabbed it into the ground. This is the sort of training he preferred; one he knew he'd use more on the battlefield. He watched as a dark figure emerged with a black shaggy cloak around him. The other's hair was wavy brown and met at his shoulders while his eyes were concealed behind a pair of yellow glasses.

This was the only time he could train with Zangetsu, when no one else was around. It wasn't that he cared that other people were watching him train, it was the fact they constantly interrupted him. Not to mention, Aizen wanted to watch over his progress. He had already improved greatly in each of the shinigami arts over the years, excelling in each category.

"Let's keep it at only practice, I just want a small workout," Ichigo said as he rubbed his eyes and yawned. He could go for a nap, but knowing his luck, it'd be interrupted by another nightmare. It made him miss Renji even more than before; at least he'd wake him up some of the time. Now they would come and go. Of course, they had also just received some more new recruits and they spent most of the night partying and he could hear them at the end of his hallway yelling.

Zangetsu looked at his wielder, knowing something was wrong with him even before he materialized. He had noticed a few days ago, but the young man ignored his advice and said he'd be fine. The old man knew what was troubling him, having access to part of Ichigo's soul and memories. It caused him some concern for his master, but there was not much else to do if he didn't want to take his advice.

"How long are you going to keep destroying yourself, Ichigo?" Zangetsu asked as they clashed blades. He saw the annoyed look on the young man's face; obviously, he was still ignoring the situation. He had confronted the orange haired shinigami during their practice, trying out different techniques and how to properly wield his Zanpakutou. However, Ichigo seemed to ignore his own problem and only concentrated on getting stronger. He still wouldn't talk to his friends about it, but he always put on an act to make it seem like nothing was wrong, and they bought it. Although, he believed that the short shinigami girl was catching on while the red head seemed oblivious.

"Not this again, old man. I called you out to train, not to chat. You know I have that match with Renji tomorrow," Ichigo growled at Zangetsu as he dodged a swipe the Zanpakutou spirit made at him. He skidded back and barely had time to bring his sword up to defend himself because Zangetsu was on him once more.

"You are only causing harm to your body, look at you. You are barely awake at this moment and I could easily take you down," Zangetsu seemed to scold him. Ichigo scowled at the old man and knocked him away.

"Shut up!" Ichigo yelled at him, not noticing Captain Aizen standing by the stairs observing his battle.

"Why are you so afraid? Is it because you feel if you open up to someone they will disappear?" Zangetsu asked Ichigo, which only infuriated him even more. Ichigo charged at his Zanpakutou and clashed swords with him before bringing it back and taking a swipe down low, which Zangetsu blocked. Zangetsu looked into Ichigo's bloodshot eyes and could see the fury written in them, but perhaps this is what he needed.

"Everyone needs help once in a while, Ichigo, you still need to learn that," Zangetsu stated before he disappeared. The young man glared at the spot his Zanapkatou's spirit once was. Why of all times did he have to preach to him?

"I have to agree with your Zanpakutou, Ichigo," Aizen said behind him and he turned to see his captain for the first time. It also allowed the older man to observe the changed features in his student. The young shinigami had dark circles under his eyes, his posture was slouched, seemed paler, and his eyes were blood shot.

"Not you too, can we just train and get on with it," Ichigo huffed as he leaned against his Zanpakutou.

"I am just concerned. You know you can always come to me for anything, and I will not judge you, but I will not push you if you are not willing to help yourself," Aizen told him as he made his way towards the middle of the training room.

"They are just a few nightmares, they'll go away," Ichigo growled, wanting to change the subject, which he knew would happen. Aizen never pushed him to reveal his past to anyone like Zangetsu, Rukia, or Renji did, and he felt a bit more at ease around the other man knowing that.

"Very well, why don't you place your Zanpakutou against the wall and we'll try another Hakuda lesson. Hopefully it will wake you up a bit," Aizen suggested and Ichigo nodded. He placed Zangetsu against the wall as the older man started saying a kido incarnation and an artificial hollow appeared.

The hollow wore a bird mask and was brown all over and stood taller than Ichigo, however, the young man was not at all intimidated. He allowed the hollow to come at him. He watched as it raised its claw to strike him and waited until the last moment, when the hollow believed it had him, to move out of the way and grab it by its arm and kick it in the side. The hollow growled as it stumbled back, but it did not get a chance to rest as Ichigo shunpoed in front of it and kicked its left foot out, causing the hollow to go down on one knee.

The hollow's red eyes glared at him from behind the mask and brought it's other claw forward to swipe at him, but he shunpoed behind the hollow and planted his foot on the back of its mask and slammed it into the ground. It gave a surprised yell as its mask cracked against the floor and its arm flayed wildly to get up. Finally, Ichigo jumped off the hollow and landed in front of it, and watched as it picked itself up.

Once it was half way up, Ichigo didn't wait for the hollow to attack him again and punched it in the mask, causing it to crack even further. The hollow screamed as he grabbed onto a piece around the eyes and ripped the mask off, causing the hollow to disappear. He dropped the pieces of broken bone in his hand and watched as they turned to dust, but he did not turn his back just yet. With Aizen, it could be another trick hollow that would come back to life as soon as he walked away.

"Do you have any harder ones? They've gotten easier," Ichigo commented to Aizen. The orange-haired shinigami stretched his arm across his chest as he looked at his instructor with a bored expression. These little training sessions were becoming easier and easier with each lesson, and he wanted something that was more of a challenge.

"I shall certainly think of something. Shall we try practicing kido?" Aizen suggested and Ichigo scowled at that. He had gotten better at kido, but it still was not one of his favorite subjects to practice. He was more hands on rather than chanting an incantation sort.

"Maybe later," Ichigo requested as he rubbed his tired eyes once more. "I wanted to train with Zangetsu, but I doubt he'll cooperate," Ichigo grumbled about his disobedient Zanpakutou.

"Have you learned any new skills from him?" Aizen asked curiously, as he crossed his arms. He tried to watch the boy during all his training session, but the boy had a habit of training on his own. However, he did seem to come to this training room more often to fight against his materialized Zanpakutou.

"Yeah, a few." Ichigo grumbled. Zangetsu had taught him a few things, such as different attacks. He had also found a way to materialize his Zanpakutou without the help of an outside source thanks to Aizen, and he preferred it than entering his inner world. The place was okay to train in, but it was eerie with all the buildings that Zangetsu said that represented his memories. He had never seen buildings like that before until Rukia had showed him some pictures of the real world and that seemed to come close.

Aizen studied Ichigo's tired face, usually he'd push the younger man to continue training the rest of the day, but Ichigo looked as if he was about to pass out. He didn't want him to end up in the fourth division because of that. "Why don't you take the rest of the day off, Ichigo, and rest? You will need it for you match against Abarai-san tomorrow." Aizen suggested and it did sound very tempting to Ichigo. Besides, it was Renji; he could kick his ass with one hand behind his back.

"Yeah, I think I might do that, I'll see you later, Sosuke," Ichigo said as he got up from the table, completely missing the annoyed look Aizen gave. The boy still showed no respect whatsoever towards his superiors and even had the nerve to start calling him by his first name. However, he let it pass so he didn't drive the boy away. At least until the boy was fully under his control.

**Eleventh Division**

Renji stood in front of Ikkaku in the abandoned training area. Both shinigami held their sealed Zanpakutous at their side while their eyes never left their opponent. They moved their feet back slightly before Renji took off in a running stance against the other. Ikkaku hid a grin he wanted to produce, but knew that would cause some suspicion from the redhead. After a long time of getting his ass handed to him, Renji had finally learned when the bald man smirked, it was a sign he was going to attack from the side.

Renji eyed Ikkaku's sealed Zanpakutou and met it with his own as he slammed into him. Both of them glared at one another in a small power struggle before Renji took a leap back as Ikkaku brought his sheath around to take a swipe at Renji.

"So you're finally learning," Ikkaku grinned at the redhead who opened his mouth to respond to the compliment, but it was at that moment Ikkaku shunpoed in front of him and struck him in the side with his sheath. Renji let out a gasp as the air was knocked out of him and pain radiated from his side. He dropped his Zanpakutou at his side in favor of holding the injury.

"That… was… cheap," Renji growled as he shut his one eye and kept the other facing his mentor. Ikkaku shook his head and sheathed his Zanpakutou before placing it over his shoulder.

"Not my fault you fell for it. You weren't concentrating on your enemy, and they will not compliment you unless they want to make you think they are weak. Opponents will throw comments at you to distract you to get an opening. You need to keep your mind focused, and if you can, come up with one yourself that they wouldn't be expecting." Ikkaku told him and grabbed Renji by the back of his haori and dragged him up.

"Now stop being a baby, I didn't hit you that hard," Ikkaku smacked him on the back, which caused Renji to hold back a yelp. He made a mental note to go to the fourth division before his match the next day.

"So, your friend you are going to fight, how strong is he?" Ikkaku asked as he grabbed a bottle of water and drank it. He sat down on a rock and watched as Renji took a seat before him on the ground. The younger shinigami had begged for Ikkaku to train him, and explained about the match that was coming up.

"We went to the academy together, but he was always one-step ahead of me. On all of our tests, training, and pretty much everything. You already know about the bet, but I want it to be this one time that I kick his ass." Renji gave a small smirk at the thought of it. Even though Ichigo was one of his best friends, he was also his biggest rival. Even after they had long graduated, he was still determined to beat him. Now was the best chance he had.

Renji had seen Momo on a few occasions and had asked her if Ichigo had been training a lot, and she replied 'no'. She said he mostly went about his duties whenever she saw him and was never in the training room. At first, Renji felt a little disappointed and insulted that his friend was not taking this seriously. Did he think that Renji was a weakling that could be pushed over? It only encouraged him to train more and hopefully make Ichigo realize he wasn't as powerful as everyone thought he was. Yes, he still had a bit of jealousy from when they were in the fifth division together and the academy, and it probably would never go away.

"Well you damn well better or I'll drag your ass back and kick it!" Ikkaku warned him and stood up to stretch. "Come on, let's get something to eat and we'll train some more." He instructed and Renji nodded. He dusted the dirt off his hakama before following after his mentor.

"Are you going to watch? I know our other friend said she'd try her best to get there if she could and some others that we know." Renji asked, hoping for a bigger audience.

"Of course, Yumichika and I were planning on attending, so like I said, you better win," Ikkaku warned him and Renji grinned. There was no way he'd lose.

**Fifth Division**

Aizen returned late at night after checking the halls of his division, he had to make an appearance every once in a while. Of course, the captain that most of them saw during the day was a mere illusion that he kept so there wouldn't any suspicion of his disappearance while training Ichigo.

He opened the door to his office to find a candle burning on his desk and gave a small smirk before he closed the door. It was a sign that one of his comrades had found new information, whether good or bad, hidden in the lowest drawer of his desk.

He walked over to the desk and dug through the drawer until he reached the bottom and found a folder and pulled it out. He set it on his desk and opened it. Inside was a small disk and three pieces of paper with scribble written on each. He set the disk aside and read the first paper, more information on Masaki Kurosaki. However, it was nothing special; she was the daughter of a family in the poor Rukongai district.

Aizen placed the piece of paper down and rubbed his temples. He didn't know how a boy with such high reiatsu came from such a weak parent. Either the father was strong, or… Urahara made some adjustments to the boy. Aizen leaned back in his chair and mused over the idea. It wouldn't surprise him to find out that Urahara Kisuke was experimenting on people. He was a scientist after all and the temptation to test a hypothesis was hard to resist.

He turned the page and was pleased to see the test results he had sent in came back. A few weeks ago, he sent a few of his officers, including Ichigo, to track down some hollows that he had planted in the forest. Of course, no one knew they were some of his experiments, and one in particular was assigned to attack Ichigo and get a sample of his blood before retreating. It came close, and it was almost destroyed, however, it did live out it purpose before he destroyed the miserable thing.

His eyes roamed over the results and he was pleasantly surprised: apparently, Ichigo had blood relatives still alive and Aizen knew one of these people. A sly smile came across his face. He was surprised he hadn't had any interfere from them yet, but there was still a chance. He doubted the rest of the family knew, but it also did zero in on the possibility of who the boy's father was. He'd warn Gin and Tousen to keep an eye out, but it shouldn't be a problem. Now that he knew who was a potential threat, other than Urahara, perhaps corrupting the boys mind with ideas would turn him off if he were to encounter them.

He turned the next page, which had the shortest amount of information, but was just as important:

_Yamamoto knows more about the boy than he will let on._

Was all that was written and Aizen narrowed his eyes. Speaking with the head captain was always a tricky matter. He didn't want to look suspicious, and draw attention to himself. After all, he was the one person who he somewhat feared, but even with the strongest of men, there had to be a weakness. He knew he wouldn't be able to draw the answer from the head captain, and would have to find some other way around it. Perhaps a journal that he kept, but even that was risky business, entering his office that was usually heavily guarded.

He slipped the pieces of paper back in the folder and shut it. He took the disk into his hand and placed it on top of the folder; he'd watch it tomorrow after some much needed rest.

Last note, the one thing I've been asked the most is about Ichigo's past and when will it be revealed, it will be appearing in the next few chapters and answering some of the things that keep popping up such as Ichigo's relative (and I'm pretty sure I know who people are going to assume he is related to).

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	13. Ichigo vs Renji

**Thank you everyone who reviewed the last chapter!!!!!!!!! I really appreciate your input and comments!! (I'm in a bit of a hurry, I'll go through everyone next time, I promise!)**

**I am really surprised I got this up, I've been having the week from hell -_- My friend being a moron more than before, my stupid counselor still won't meet with me (so happy it's my last semester with her!), and I have to have three teeth taken out next month. I'll try to continue updating quickly with this story, but just as a warning, next months updates maybe not as weekly since I'm going back fulltime to work. It depends on how tired I get.**

Beta'd by the lovely **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky**!

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Rukia listened in on the mission that they were going on the next day, making sure to pay attention despite the fact she had gone on plenty of these types before. They set up a small group to relieve the shinigami representative of Karakura Town temporarily, and to exterminate any hollows that try to invade the town. It was quite simple and the last time they did this, there wasn't a hollow in sight.

"Alright, any questions?" Lieutenant Shiba called out and crossed his arms over his chest. Rukia had to hide a smile at the serious look that he was forcing upon his face. Even giving orders, he didn't look serious and everyone in the room knew that, but they all respected and always followed his orders without question.

"Alright, everyone rest up and I'll see you tomorrow!" Kaien dismissed the group and saw Rukia turned to leave and couldn't help but tease her. "Oh, and Kuchiki, no bringing back things from the real world!" He yelled and the short girl turned and gave him a pleading look. The last time they had come back, she had found a paperweight with a bunny and had to bring it back. It wasn't going to harm anything, but they couldn't go around and loot the town even though no one could see them.

Rukia turned back around, her face flushed slightly as she left the area. She had to meet Renji and Ichigo for their match, or rather watch, as they called each other names and fought.

**Fifth Division**

Ichigo yawned as he stared down at the rice he had barely touched. He had been picking at it for the past few minutes while Momo sat across from him chatting away as usual. "Ichigo," Momo said his name and he looked up at her. She tilted her head to the side as she stared at him. "I asked you a question," she said, realizing he hadn't been paying attention.

"Oh, sorry, what did you say?" Ichigo asked as he took his glass of water and drank a bit of it. It made him feel a bit more awake, but he was still feeling a bit fatigued at the moment.

"I was wondering if you are nervous about facing Renji today. I know you guys have been planning this for a while and it must be exciting to finally see how much of your hard work paid off," she said and Ichigo nodded as he shifted his rice over in the bowl.

"It's nothing, I know I'll beat him," he replied and shut his eyes for a moment before opening them. He looked over at Momo who was looking at him with a worried expression. "Are you going to come? I know Renji said he had a few people coming from his division," he said and Momo shook her head as a small smile appeared on her lips.

"No, I wish I could, but I am leaving after lunch to visit my friend. I've been trying to convince him for a while to join the academy, but he simply shrugs it off. Though, I think the last time I got his attention with it and he might actually do it," Momo said happily and noticed Ichigo nod before his eyes closed once more.

"Are you going to be alright? Maybe you should go to the fourth division, or reschedule the fight with Renji." She suggested, but Ichigo shook his head.

"I'm fine, I just didn't have a good night. Nothing to worry about," Ichigo replied as he stood up to leave. Momo watched him stagger out of the room, ignoring those around him. She bit her lip before jumping out of her seat and racing after him. She knew he was going to get himself hurt if he went along with the fight, and she felt that she owed him for saving her life. Even if he didn't want to go, she'd find a way to.

She saw him exiting the door and was about to race down the hallway when a door to the side slid open and Captain Aizen stepped through with his lieutenant at his side holding a stack of papers. "Captain Aizen," Momo greeted, coming to a stop.

"It is good to see you, again," Captain Aizen greeted her with a charming smile and she almost forgot what she was doing there.

"Oh, ugh, if you'll excuse me, I have to go after Ichigo!" Momo told him and immediately his smile turned into a frown.

"Is there something wrong with Kurosaki-san?" Aizen asked, playing dumb even though he already knew about the boy's condition.

"He is not looking well and I've been trying to get him to go to the fourth division, and now he is on his way to fight Renji and I'm afraid he might get hurt," Momo replied and Aizen placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort.

"Kurosaki-san is not stupid. He knows what he is doing and when he is ready for help, he will seek it. If you have already made the suggestion that is all you can do. It is up to him to decide," Aizen told her before he turned to his lieutenant who was looking at the ground. "If you'll excuse me, we have much work that needs to be done. Try to relax, Hiramori-san. Kurosaki-san will be alright." He told her before he left with his lieutenant walking behind him.

Momo watched him leave and folded her arms over her chest, thinking over the words he said. She trusted her captain's judgment over so many others, and hoped that it wouldn't cause her friend harm. She sighed as she walked down the hallway towards the exit. She needed to go back to her room and gather some things before she returned home.

**Underground Training Area**

Renji climbed halfway down the ladder before jumping off with excitement until he found he was the first one there. He placed a hand on his hip in disappointment, he was hoping to find Ichigo there waiting so they could start right away, but apparently, his friend decided to be late, again.

Renji, Rukia, and Ichigo still met every Saturday to hang out as much as they could, with the exception if their division required them to do extra work or go on a mission. He would always arrive there around the same time as Rukia, but Ichigo would always show up later and later. He would apologize for being late and they would go on to chatting about how their week was going.

He remembered the first time it happened, he grabbed Ichigo by the collar and demanded why he was an hour late before Rukia had kicked Renji in the knee and said that all of them have different schedules and not to worry about it. It was why he hunted down Momo and asked her what Ichigo was up to, figuring he was training, but when she told him Ichigo was hardly in the training room, it caused him to be suspicious and a bit annoyed with his friend.

"Are you going to stand there, or do I have to kick you to get you to move?" Ikkaku asked as he nudged the redhead with his foot. Renji looked up to see the bald shinigami and Yumichika on the ladder before he moved out of the way to allow them to come down.

"My, what a dirty place," Yumichika stated as he placed a hand on his hip and gazed around at the training grounds.

"Where's your friend, or did he chicken out?" Ikkaku asked as he folded his arms over his chest and looked over at Yumichika who had brought a small blanket to sit on so he wouldn't get dirty.

"He had better come or I'll go to the fifth division and drag him here by his hair," Renji growled. He took a few steps forward, brushing the dried dirt underneath his feet. He could feel adrenaline racing through him even though he hadn't started fighting yet.

"You look nervous," the men heard a female voice say and looked over at the ladder to find Rukia climbing down. She jumped down when she had three more steps to take and brushed herself off as dirt flew onto her clothes.

"That's stupid, I'm not nervous. If anyone should be nervous, it should be Ichigo after I kick his ass," Renji replied as Rukia started walking up to him and stopped half way.

"I hope you haven't already planned your victory. There is a chance that you might not win, what then?" Rukia asked him and she folded her hands over her chest. She wasn't trying to be smug or crush his dreams, but she knew how he was. When he was overconfident, he believed everything would go his way and when it didn't, he would sit around and mop, and she didn't want to deal with that.

"He doesn't have to worry, he's from the eleventh division. I trained him personally so he doesn't have anything to fear. Especially if the person is from the measly fifth division," Ikkaku snorted and Rukia sweat dropped and opened her mouth before closing it. There was no point in arguing with him. All those from the eleventh believed they were invincible and no one could defeat them. Of course, none of them had faced Ichigo before. During the academy, she had seen how easily it was for him to catch onto things and how hard he'd work to get stronger. If anything, she was excited to see how far her two friends had come.

"That's if he shows up," Renji muttered and tapped his foot before they heard someone coming down the ladder and turned to see the orange haired shinigami. Renji grinned and pulled out his Zanpakutou as Ikkaku and Yumichika distanced themselves from the two, dragging Rukia along with them.

"Like I'd miss kicking your ass," Ichigo said with a yawn before pulling out Zangetsu and unraveling it.

"Oh my, what a barbaric-looking Zanpakutou, perhaps if it was slimmer, it'd be more beautiful," Yumichika commented to Ikkaku who shrugged. He knew the size of a person's Zanpakutou didn't matter; however, what he did find strange was that it was already in Shikai form.

Rukia frowned as she watched Ichigo and Renji converse back and forth, hearing briefly what they were saying. She hadn't had time to really look at Ichigo up close, but from the glimpse she caught of him before Ikkaku dragged her away, he didn't look good. She looked over at the two men beside her, one sat with his hands folded in his lap while the other was sitting on a large rock with excitement in his eyes of seeing a fight.

"I was wondering when you were going to drag your ass here." Renji smirked as he swung his Zanpakutou to the side. Ichigo only rolled his eyes and held Zangetsu loosely in his hand.

"Whatever, let's just get this over with, it shouldn't take long," Ichigo replied as he narrowed his eyes. _Zangetsu, are you there?_ Ichigo called in his mind, but there was no reply. He kept his eyes focused on Renji while his friend spoke, and tried to call to his Zanpakutou one more time.

_I am always here, though I am surprised you would ask for my help._ Zangetsu replied and Ichigo groaned. Of all the times the old man wanted to prove a point, now was not that time!

_Please don't start this again. I need your help with this battle so I can end it quickly and shut Renji up for good. _Ichigo told him, and looked down at his Zanpakutou, which seemed even heavier than before.

_I have given you plenty of advice and help, but you chose to ignore it and do things yourself because you do not wish to involve others. You have proven that point by keeping others in the dark, and continue to hurt yourself. This is your battle, and I will be here when you finally decide to stop relying on yourself only and allow others in your life to share your burden._ Zangetsu said before his voice disappeared and Ichigo cursed.

"You're looking worried," Renji laughed at Ichigo, who shut his eyes for a moment and had a hard time opening them again. This was why he needed Zangetsu to help him, he didn't know if he'd make it to the end of the fight. He knew he could wipe the floor with Renji if he was feeling his normal self.

"No, I'm just tired of you opening your mouth. Now just shut up and let's start," Ichigo replied. Renji smirked and stood in a battle stance with his feet spread apart slightly and his Zanpakutou held in front of him. He watched Ichigo, noticing his friend just stand in his regular position.

Renji observed his friend, who hadn't moved and guessed he was waiting for him to make it. The redhead moved slightly to the left and waited for his friend to close his eyes before he charged at him as fast as he could. He felt a sense of excitement and disappointment at the same time, as he grew near to his friend who hadn't opened his eyes or moved yet. He wasn't taking this serious, and that was going to be his downfall!

Renji was about to strike Ichigo with his Zanpakutou when Ichigo raised Zangetsu a second before he was hit. Renji stared into Ichigo's blood shot eyes as he swung his sword down, only to meet Ichigo's before his friend kicked him in the side and sent him back.

"Hm, so maybe this will be an entertaining fight," Yumichika said as he sat straight on his blanket. Ikkaku didn't say anything, and only observed the match. It was still too early to decide a winner.

"Nice try," Ichigo told his friend as he swung Zangetsu to the side before flash stepping in front of Renji and striking at him, barely giving his friend time to react. The redhead's eyes widened as he tried to keep up with Ichigo's moves before he had to dodge out of the way before he was cut in half. His friend's speed had certainly picked up over the years. Maybe what Momo told him was wrong, maybe Ichigo had been training. Renji's confident smirk returned as he swung his Zanpakutou in front of him.

"That was simply a test to see if you were going to take me seriously. I've been practicing every day since we made that bet, watch," Renji said as he held his Zanpakutou at chest level and placed his hand across the blade. His hand glided across the blade and it grew long with spikes every few inches apart.

"This is my Zanpakutou, Zabimaru! Not only have I learned its Shikai's form, I've already begun to learn… HEY!" Renji yelled when he saw Ichigo rested his head against Zangetsu and looked as if he had fallen asleep. Ichigo opened his eyes slightly and yawned when he saw his enraged friend glaring at him.

"Sorry, what were you saying?" Ichigo asked, not caring for Renji's speech.

"You are so dead," Renji snarled and waved his Zanpakutou at Ichigo.

"So you learned you Zanpakutou's name, it doesn't make a difference what form it is in, I'm still going to beat you." Ichigo taunted as Renji held up Zabimaru before bringing it down and the end of the sword extended. Ichigo narrowed his eyes as the blade wiped around its master before Renji shot it at him.

Ichigo simply shunpoed away from the attack and looked to his right to see the blade coming at him again. He cursed to himself before bringing Zangetsu up to block the attack and felt the pressure of Zabimaru being pushed against him. His eyes widened slightly, not expecting this before he slashed the blade away and it returned to Renji who was grinning once more.

"Still feel confident about that?" Renji asked him, but Ichigo chose to ignore him. He knew he had to defeat Renji by himself and needed to rely on his own skills.

_An important rule to remember, every fight you enter is different. The person you are facing may be calm or filled with rage. However, no matter how they react when fighting, many fighters have the same quality: they are confident in their ability to win, no matter how hopeless the outcome may be. Allow them to think they are able to win, and like a snake, strike when they let their guard down. _

Ichigo could hear Aizen's words in the back of his head. He knew he and Renji both had the same quality: they both were determined to win no matter what it took. Perhaps using this against Renji would be the best way to defeat him. He smirked to himself, not to mention it gave him time to build up an attack when his friend least expected it.

"Stop daydreaming!" Renji yelled and it snapped Ichigo back to reality and he dodged out of the way before Renji smashed Zabimaru into the spot he had been in. He cursed as the edge blade cut into his arm. He inspected the cut, and knew it was nothing major.

"Hm, it looks like you may have over-trained Renji for this fight. I thought that his friend might be a challenge, but now I'm not so sure," Yumichika announced from the sidelines.

"I'm not so sure," Ikkaku muttered as he watched Ichigo dodge out of the way of another attack. He had seen the speed the orange haired kid displayed at the beginning of the fight, where did it go? The kid was simply running instead of using it. Ikkaku leaned forward to observe the fight more. There was defiantly more going on than meets the eye.

He wasn't the only one to notice the strange behavior. Rukia's eyes were wide as she watched Ichigo turn and slashed at the attack that almost hit him again. Of all the fights, she had seen between the two, she had never seen Ichigo struggle like this. Usually, he made short work of Renji. However, she watched as he stopped to catch his breath and looked paler than before. She bit her lip, stopping herself from running between them and stopping the fight. Something was defiantly not right with Ichigo; she knew it since he first entered the training grounds. She just hoped Renji would soon notice it too and not be blind to his friend's condition.

"Come on, what's with all the running?" Renji smirked as he walked towards Ichigo who had placed Zangetsu into the ground and held the hilt with both hands. He leaned his head against his hands, making sure to hide his face from his friend's view.

"Hey, if it makes you feel better I'll let you take a swing at me," Renji told him as he stepped closer and held Zabimaru at his side. "I'll give you five seconds before I end this pathetic fight!" He yelled at his friend.

"Tch, it'll take less than that to finish you off," Ichigo whispered low enough for Renji to miss, but his friend knew he heard Ichigo say something.

"What was that?" Renji asked as he took a step forward before Ichigo took his sword out of the ground, it was now glowing blue. The redhead's eyes widened realizing Ichigo had been compressing his reiatsu into his Zanpakutou this entire time to save it for an attack.

"Don't look so confident now," Ichigo smiled before he slashed his Zanpakutou at Renji and sent a large violent streak at his friend, who held Zabimaru in front of him to block the attack, but he was being shoved back with his heels digging into the ground to try to hold firm.

Renji gritted his teeth, putting all his effort into holding off the attack and quickly looked over at where Ichigo stood to realize he wasn't there. His eyes widened when he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Ichigo punch him in the stomach, which caused him to drop Zabimaru and let the attack hit him. Ichigo shunpoed out of the way of the attack and watched as Renji smashed into a wall.

"Oh my," Yumichika mumbled from his spot, getting to his feet along with Ikkaku. "I was certainly not expecting that," he said and turned to look at his bald friend who was staring at Ichigo.

_His reiatsu rose sky high when he unleashed that attack. It's still higher than before…. _Ikkaku thought to himself staring at the kid, not bothering to look to see if Renji was all right. He knew he would be, but at the moment, his eyes were on the orange-haired shinigami.

Rukia's eyes widened when she saw Renji smash into the wall and felt a sigh of relief when he stood up, covered in cuts with a large one on his forehead with blood dripping down the side. His clothing was ripped in different areas and his long red hair fell to the side of his face. He panted as he staggered forward, feeling aches all over his body from the attack.

He took a few more steps before he collapsed to his knees, glaring up at his friend who was supporting himself on his Zanpakutou. The red-head knew he couldn't go on, especially if his friend produced another attack like that. "You win," Renji muttered and turned his head to the side. He saw the figures of Ikkaku and Yumichika coming up and shut his eyes. He knew he had failed his squad.

Ichigo's vision began to blur and the fatigue he had been feeling before had tripled since he performed that attack. It never took this much out of him and he felt himself sway and try to hold onto Zangetsu as long as he could.

"Sorry," Renji apologized as he got to his feet, having a hard time looking at his mentor. "I swear, I'll work harder and get him next time. I thought… I thought I had him," he said to Ikkaku who opened his mouth to reply, but Rukia beat him to it.

"Why am I not surprised," Rukia sighed as she walked forward towards her childhood friend. She knew this would happen, he always became so overconfident in his abilities and then he would be crushed back down by Ichigo or someone else. She knew Ichigo wouldn't be sitting around doing nothing while Renji trained and she was right. It was obvious Ichigo had been training these past five years.

"Don't start, I don't want to hear it," Renji growled at her as she walked up to him. He looked over at Ikkaku who had turned his head to look over at Ichigo; apparently, his friend had surpassed his expectations even though all he heard about the boy was from Renji. The redhead turned around and began walking towards the exit.

"You were the one who made the bet with him, and you know he'd train even if Momo said he wasn't. He was probably doing it in secret, right Ichigo?" Rukia turned to look at her orange-haired friend and noticed he was swaying and looked worse than before. "Ichigo?" she called at the same time he fell forward with a loud thump.

"Ichigo!" Rukia yelled and ran towards her fallen friend. At the same time, Renji turned around and his eyes widened at seeing Ichigo on the ground. All thoughts of their fight were instantly forgotten as he raced over to his friend at the same time Ikkaku and Yumichika got to his side.

"What is wrong with him?" Renji asked as he bent down next to his friend. He hadn't been paying attention to his friend's features during the battle, had he looked this bad the whole time? He swallowed as guilt raced through him for making Ichigo fight him, even if his friend won, he wasn't in good shape.

Rukia placed her fingers around Ichigo's hand and felt a pulse and he was breathing shallowly. She looked up at Renji who met her eyes with the same concern and guilt for not saying something earlier.

"We need to bring him to the fourth division," Yumichika piped in at the same time Renji and Ikkaku were picking Ichigo up. They began to carry Ichigo towards the exit as quickly as possible.

Rukia was following behind them with a worried expression on her face. What had happened to their friend to cause him to end up like this? Better yet, had no one noticed in the fifth division? How could they let this drag on this far? She felt the same sense of dread run through her as the day she was told the group Renji and Ichigo were in were ambushed by hollows. However, there was nothing she could do for him at the moment; she'd have to wait for Captain Unohana or whoever was going to look him over.

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A/N: I've been trying to get better at writing battles; I even had 20 of my manga volumes sitting around me while I wrote the battle scene to get some ideas on what to do.

If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Though please do not feed the plot bunnies, they've been attacking me all week, especially for this story. There are so many ideas I'd love to add to this fic, but they just don't fit. Which only means I know the story that is going to be started as soon as this one is finished ^^

Hope ya enjoyed and please review!


	14. Recovery

Thank you everyone that reviewed the last chapter!!! I really appreciate the feedback and ideas people come up with. *loves you all*

Side Happy Note: 3 10 page papers, 4 tests, and 2 presentations worth 15 minutes each, and I am done with my classes for the semester *cheers*

BIG thanks to **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for betaing this chapter!!

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Ichigo felt a hand on his forehead and his eyes slowly opened to find a member of the fourth division hovering over him. "Hm, seems you are alright, I'll alert Captain Unohana that you are awake," the girl said as she rinsed a white washcloth and placed the cool rag against his sweaty forehead. Ichigo's vision still felt a bit fuzzy and he was having a bit of difficulty moving his arms and legs. They felt like dead weight and he found himself wanting to go back to sleep.

He opened his eyes again to find two figures standing above him and his eyes opened wider. "Was wondering when you were going to wake your lazy ass up," Renji growled at him and Rukia rolled her eyes at the redhead. She found it interesting as soon as he found out Ichigo was all right, his attitude returned, but before that, he was just as worried as she was. The two hadn't left the fourth division since they brought Ichigo in and stayed overnight with him to make sure he was all right.

"What happened?" Ichigo moved his hand gradually to his face and rubbed it before he tried to sit up. His body felt stiff, but he didn't feel as bad as he did during the fight.

"You had just finished the fight and then you fainted," Rukia told him and could tell he was remembering the events. "Why did you continue with the fight even though you knew you were not feeling well? That was stupid," she sighed at him and shook her head knowing he wasn't the only one to blame; Renji would have called him chicken if he hadn't.

"It wasn't that important," Renji muttered quietly and received two glares from his friends.

"Really, the last time we met before this you went on how you were going to win and that there was no backing out of it," Rukia scolded him and Ichigo felt like a headache was growing from the two. Luckily, it was cut short when the door slid open and Captain Unohana appeared with a small smile at seeing her patient awake.

"It is good to see you are awake, Kurosaki-san. You had us worried for a while," Captain Unohana said as she stepped into the room and Renji took a step back to allow her to make observations on Ichigo. The young man's eyes looked to the side as Unohana tilted his chin up to look into his eyes. They were still a bit red, but it was mostly due to lack of sleep.

"Kuchiki-san, Abarai-san, could you give us a moment please?" Captain Unohana asked sweetly and the two young shinigami nodded instantly and headed for the door. The older woman waited until they left before turning back to Ichigo. "We checked you over and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong. You seemed to have passed out due to lack of sleep and stress, is there a reason why?" She asked as she took a seat next to his bed and Ichigo shrugged. Still as stubborn as before.

"I've been having nightmares for the past week," Ichigo muttered, finding it hard to look her in the eyes. Instead, he kept his gaze down and twiddled his fingers in the white blanket covering him.

"Are these nightmares the same every night or are they different?" Captain Unohana asked, hoping to gain some insight into her patient's mind and hopefully he'd open up the slightest.

"Different," he replied quietly with his fingers tightening around the blanket. "Is there something you can give me to make them go away?" He asked her, cutting off further questioning.

"I can give you something to help you sleep, but I cannot guarantee that it will get rid of your nightmares. I believe that something is bothering you and the only way to truly get rid of your problem is to open up. Holding onto something for so long is not healthy, especially if it is disrupting your sleep," she suggested but the young man only shrugged once more.

"That is all the advice I can give you, and I hope you take it into consideration," she told him before standing up. "I will come back to check on you and see if you need anything before you go to bed," she told him with a small smile before turning to walk towards the door. When she slid it open she found Renji and Rukia who had been trying to eavesdrop the entire conversation.

"What the hell, that was supposed to be private!" Ichigo yelled at his two friends who apologized to Captain Unohana and bowed slightly before moving towards their friend's bed.

"Well we knew you wouldn't tell us so how else were we supposed to find out?" Renji said as he took a seat to the left of Ichigo and Rukia to the right. "Well besides beating it out of you," Renji smirked at him.

"Yeah right, even not feeling well I still wiped the floor with you," Ichigo grumbled at him but it did not stop his red-haired friend from continuing.

"I had you on the run for a while but I took it easy on you cause I felt sorry for you." Renji smirked and Ichigo narrowed his eyes at his friend. The redhead didn't notice the orange-haired shinigami clench the bed sheet, but Rukia did and decided to break this up. Not only that, there was only so much of Renji's cocky attitude she could take.

"These nightmares you have been having, what are they about?" She asked him and saw his face lighten slightly. She could see a mixture of negative emotions racing through his eyes before he hid them.

"They are nothing big, they just keep me from sleeping," Ichigo replied simply, wishing that Renji would open his mouth to say anything to change the subject. Unfortunately, his red-haired friend did not help the matter.

"Not from what I remember. I had to wake you up some nights because you would be talking in your sleep and most of the time kept me up. So don't tell us they are nothing big," Renji told him and Ichigo growled underneath his breath. He didn't want to talk about the matter with them. Sure Renji may have known about his nightmares and kept his quiet, he rather it'd be like that. They'd never understand and he didn't want to see pity in their eyes every time he saw them.

"Let's just drop it," Ichigo snapped at him and leaned back against the headboard with his arms folded across his chest. Renji got out of his chair and was about to grab his friend when Rukia shook her head.

"Renji, let's drop it. Ichigo, we are just concerned about you. You know you can tell us anything but if you're still not ready yet then that's fine," Rukia told him with a small smile.

Captain Unohana exited the room with a shake of her head, she knew an event like this might happen but the boy was too stubborn to speak up. She only knew part of his pain, mainly having to do with his friend Tatsuki, but she had a feeling it went deeper than that. Many had lost a friend while being a shinigami, even those who had lived on the streets, but none were as traumatized by the events as Ichigo had been.

She knew he wouldn't open up to her, even though she had helped him in the past, he needed someone who wouldn't judge or look upon him with pity. Unfortunately, she knew she had made that mistake while looking after him but she hadn't known him well at the time. She shook her head as she gazed in the room at her patient who was being scolded by his friends. She wished his friends could help him but they were too young to understand. There was one person she was hoping Ichigo would come out to…

"Captain Unohana, how is Kurosaki-san?" Captain Aizen asked as he walked down the hall with a worried expression on his face. The woman smiled gently at him and nodded for him to follow her to her office.

She walked over to her desk and took a seat as Aizen slid the door shut and took a seat in front of her. "He is alright; he ended up having a fainting spell due to lack of sleep," she told him and he nodded, though the worried expression still adjourned his face. "I am worried about him, there is something troubling and it is eating away at him. He won't open up to me and I have my doubts he has with his friends with how they hover over him. I was hoping maybe you could have a breakthrough with him. I do not know how close you are with him, but being his captain, hopefully he'll put his trust in you and finally open up." She looked at him pleadingly and Aizen folded his hands in his lap and shook his head slightly.

"I've tried in the past, but I saw he was resistant so I did not push the matter. I've told him he can come to me anytime when he first arrived, but he never took the offer." Aizen sighed as he leaned forward in the seat.

"Try talking to him again, I am afraid he may endanger himself if he continues like this. What if he was on a mission instead of having a sparring match with his friend? He could cause harm to himself and his those around him," Captain Unohana said with worry in her voice.

Captain Aizen gave her a small smile and stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you for looking after him, I shall see what I can do. Can you make sure no one disturbs us until I leave his room? If I am able to have him start talking, I don't want to be disturbed and have him stop," he requested and she nodded with a smile.

"Of course, thank you," she replied as she watched him turn to leave her office. She folded her hands in her lap and looked down at them, giving a small prayer that the boy would open up to someone before it destroyed him.

Captain Aizen walked down the hallway and slid Ichigo's door open to find Rukia and Renji still inside and smiled down at them. "Abarai-san, it is good to see you again. Kuchiki-san it is a pleasure to finally meet you, have you been here all night?" He asked and Rukia looked surprised that he knew who she was, but then again, it was mostly due to her brother.

"Yeah, been waiting for him to finally wake up," Renji replied and kicked the bed. Ichigo scowled at his friend and muttered underneath his breath.

"Why don't you return to your divisions and get some rest now that Kurosaki-san is awake," he suggested and Renji looked like he was ready to protest when Rukia hopped out of her seat.

"I forgot, I'm supposed to go on a mission in a few hours. I need to get some sleep!" Rukia's eyes widened in realization. She had been so worried about her friend she had forgotten about the mission. Renji was about to say something when she grabbed him by the arm. "Come on, you need to get some sleep too so you can go back to training so Ichigo can kick your butt later," she told him.

"He did not kick my ass, I would have beaten him!" Renji protested but was still dragged out of the room by the small girl.

"They seem like a lively bunch," Aizen said good-humored and Ichigo shrugged. Aizen took Renji's seat next to his bed and sat down. "How are you feeling, Ichigo?" He asked his student who leaned his head against the headboard of the bed.

"Fine, but I know you'll end up saying 'then why are you here' so I guess I'm not," Ichigo replied with a sigh. He looked towards the window to see the sun shining and a cool breeze moving in.

"I knew you weren't this entire week," Aizen revealed and Ichigo turned his head to look at his captain. He watched as the older man leaned forward with his hands clasped together.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Ichigo asked him out of curiosity.

"As I told you before, I am here if you ever need anything and will not hound you about your own personal matters. It was not my decision to make. I care and look after all of those that are in my division and don't want any harm to befall any of you, but you are not children. You know when something is wrong and when to seek help," Aizen told him and Ichigo bowed his head and took a deep breath.

The brown-haired shinigami watched as it seemed like the boy was debating inside his head of what he should do. Aizen knew he was close and he needed to push the boy just a little more. "You know I will never judge you for whatever actions that have happened in the past. I have too much respect for you to do that," he told him and watched as Ichigo turned to face him.

"If… if I were to tell you it had better stay between us," Ichigo said quietly, his eyes staring into his captain's who now had a serious look on his face instead of the pleasant smile.

"You have my word, I will not tell another soul," Aizen swore to him.

Ichigo ran a hand over his forehead as he began thinking this over again. Perhaps Captain Unohana was right; maybe it would help to talk to someone. Aizen had helped him over the years to become stronger, and he never treated him like a child or nagged at him. "Do you want to start with your nightmares?" Aizen suggested, seeing the lost look in Ichigo's eyes as if the young shinigami didn't know where to start.

"If I were to tell you them, they wouldn't make sense. They aren't nightmares, just flashbacks of the past," Ichigo replied and Aizen noticed the glazed look in the young man's eyes. "I suppose I have to start there for you to understand," Ichigo gave a small smile and bowed his head.

"I grew up in the 75th East Rukongai district with my mother…" Ichigo stopped as he saw a flash of her in his mind. The beautiful wavy orangish-brown hair that came down to the middle of her back and her bright brown eyes looking down at him with a smile.

"She was a kind woman, always looking out for me and tried to make me happy even though we were poor. Her smile never wavered once when I was around her, but at night, I could hear her cry herself to sleep…"

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Sorry for the short chapter, but the next will be making up for it! I originally thought to break it up into two chapters, but I know I get annoyed with that so it's going to be one long chapter.

Next Chapter: Ichi's past!

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed :) and please review


	15. Memories Best Forgotten Part 1 A

THANK YOU so much to everyone that reviewed the last chapter!!!! I very much appreciate your feedback and take it into consideration while writing.

I am sorry that this has taken so long. I had finals/essays last months, my asshole of a landlord increased my rent by a frickin lot so now I got to find somewhere else to live cause I can't afford my apartment anymore and have been moving everything out and living with my parents (which has been hell), and there is a whole bunch of other crap going on. Anyways, this chapter has been cut in half mainly because I've been feeling guilty that it has taken so long to be updated. Part 2 of it is almost finished and will be posted very soon.

**Bolded part is Ichigo talking. **The rest of the story Ichigo knows, but there are some parts he doesn't.

Also another SUPER thanks to **Black Sun Upon the Icy Sky **for betaing this chapter so fast!

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A young Ichigo walked alongside his mother in the crowded streets. It was early in the day and the sun was shining above their heads as his mother, Masaki, stopped by a clerk who was selling loaves of bread. Ichigo released her hand so she could search for a good loaf that wasn't turning a different shade of color. Meanwhile, Ichigo yawned and looked at other people passing by, noticing the hatred looks they shot his mother and him.

"This looks good," Masaki said as she picked one out and was about to pull some money out from her pocket to pay for the bread.

"That price is only for locals around here, not for people like _you_," the seller muttered low and Masaki sighed. She was used to the hatred towards her since most knew she had been a shinigami before arriving. Despite giving up her role and lucky enough that the Gotei 13 didn't care that a non-ranked officer was leaving; she was still treated harshly for who she once was.

"Mommy, can we go home?" Ichigo asked his mother as he grabbed onto her brown kimono and hugged her leg. He didn't like going out unless it was their backyard. Even then, the only person he wanted to be with was his mother. He had tried to make friends with other kids around their street, but they would either turn their backs to him or try to beat him up.

**We didn't go out often, and if we did it we were always back before dark when gangs would roam the streets. I never understood the people around there. They always looked down on us even though they were just as poor as us. I was always have nightmares that one day they would try to gang up on my mother and I, and I'd wake up in the middle of the night screaming and she would always come running and assure me that would never happen. I trusted her, but I was young then and was afraid of losing the only person I had. My mother was the reason I wanted to get stronger, so I could defend her…**

Ichigo was playing outside in the front of their small house with a ball he had found while walking home a week ago. He threw the ball against the cement side of the house and let it bounce back to him so he could catch it. Footsteps were coming up behind him and he turned to see three kids that were taller than him.

Ichigo turned back to his game and tried to ignore them until one of them grabbed the ball from him. "Hey that's mine!" Ichigo yelled, but the three kids laughed and pushed him away.

"Too bad, it's ours now," one taunted and tossed the ball back and forth between his two hands. "So you're the kid that my parents were talking about. They heard your mom sold her body and accidentally got pregnant with you," he smirked and Ichigo's hands went into fists and had to hold back the tears he felt in his eyes. No one ever talked badly about his mother!

"Shut up! She did not!" Ichigo protested and glared at the three kids as they began circling around him.

"Really, then where's your father? I have one, Hahirou and Chiyo has one." The kid commented and Ichigo finally ran forward and tried to punch the kid who had insulted his mother. He was tired of everyone being so disrespectful towards her when she had never done anything wrong.

"How pathetic, he can't even fight," Chiyo laughed before he pushed Ichigo to the ground.

"Get away from here!" Masaki's voice yelled and the kids looked up to see her running towards them. They quickly scattered before she arrived and helped her son up. "Ichigo, are you alright?" She asked him and wiped the dirt off of his face. She looked down and saw he had a scabbed knee. "It's alright now," she whispered to him as his eyes watered before he hugged her.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled as he cried into her arms. He was supposed to be saving her, not the other way around.

"It's alright, why don't we fix that knee and I'll read a story to you," she smiled at him and Ichigo wiped his tears.

**One of my easrliest memories was someone telling me that my name means "number one guardian" and that I was supposed to protect my mother. In the end, she was always the one who protected me. She was always happy, even while other people insulted her. Her smile never wavered except a few times and they were always when I would catch her alone. **

Ichigo crawled out of his bed and wandered towards the living room where his mother slept. He had just had a nightmare and wanted to be by her. As he got closer, he heard sobbing and stopped, but the sobbing still continued. Slowly, he crept closer to see his mother leaning against the wall on the floor with her head buried in her hands. "P_l_e_a_s_e_, _g_o _aw_a_y_" she whispered to herself as more tears ran down her cheek.

Ichigo stared at his mother, he had never seen her in such distress and felt his small heart break. What could have upset her? He didn't know, but he wanted to see his mother happy again. He took a few steps forward before he placed a hand on her shoulder that startled her. "Mama, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked as his mother wiped the tears away before she grabbed her son and hugged him.

"I am so sorry Ichigo, it's my fault," she said and kissed the top of his head and left him confused.

"What's your fault?" Ichigo asked innocently and looked up at her. As far as he knew, she had never done anything wrong. She had been the best mother another could ever ask for. He thought perhaps she was upset for raising him in such a terrible neighborhood, but he didn't mind as long he had her.

"I… I will tell you when you're older," she promised to him with a fake smile.

**I knew there were things she kept hidden from me such as my father and whatever it was that upset her that night. I never asked her again about them. I knew she'd tell me when she was ready, but…**

"Ichigo get away from the windows!" Masaki ordered to the young boy as she pulled him away and moved as far away from the door as she could. They could hear the yelling and screaming of people in the streets and breaking of glass as homes were broken into. It happened once in a while, a gang that usually terrorized the streets at night decided to terrorize people in their homes.

"Mom why are they doing this?" Ichigo asked his mother as he held onto her and stared at the door. He was always terrified whenever this happened. It was what always caused him nightmares, that one day their house would be broken into and they would be killed.

Masaki looked down at her son and crouched down to hug him close. This was no way a child should be brought up, but this was the only place she could take him. She doubted the other shinigami would understand, and was thankful that they did not pursue her.

"There are several types of people in the world, Ichigo," Masaki told him as she lifted his chin up to look at her. "There are good people who want to help others, there are some that only care about themselves and could care less about the world, others only help when they see it is beneficial for them, and there are also people who want to see suffering in people's eyes." She told him and looked at the door when she heard the screaming coming from outside and Ichigo held onto her.

"Aren't the bad people called hollows?" Ichigo asked her and Masaki's eyes softened as she rubbed his shivering back.

"Hollows act on instinct because they lost their heart whereas the bad people know they are harming," she replied and finally stood up when she heard men coming closer. "Ichigo, can you do something for me?" She asked him and he stared up at her with a nod of his head.

"What is it?" he asked her, trying to ignore the sounds coming from outside.

"I need you to go into your room and hide under the bed. Do not come out no matter what you hear," she ordered to him and he looked as if he wanted to protest. He was meant to protect his mother, not hide. She had already protected him enough.

"But," Ichigo started to protest, but Masaki bent down once again and he saw the tears forming in her eyes.

"Please do this, if I lost you, I've lost my world," she whispered and he shook his head 'yes' and hugged her. "Always know that I am proud of you, and no matter what, and don't allow yourself to fall into darkness," she told him and Ichigo nodded as tears formed in his own eyes. Masaki gave him one last smile before kissing him on top of his head. "Now go," she ordered and Ichigo backed away and ran to his room. He shut the door and grabbed some blankets to hide himself better under the bed.

He laid there burying his head into the blankets feeling like such a coward. He didn't want to leave his mother, but the look in her eyes told him to trust her and he did more than anyone else in the world.

He heard the sound of wood cracking and finally a bang as the door was broken down. Ichigo felt his body go numb as he heard yelling and bit his lip. He prayed his mother was going to be alright, but a horrible feeling filled him. A tear finally slipped from his eye and he felt like he was going to be sick. More banging and yelling was coming from the front as he heard things being tossed around the small house. A scream of pain was heard, but it was a male's voice. This gave him a little hope that his mother was able to defend herself.

He turned his head when he heard someone yelling something that he could not make out before everything went silent and a thud hit the ground. _Please be alright. Please be alright._ Ichigo kept chanting inside his head and prayed his mother would enter the room to find him. She was the most important person to him, not to mention the only person in his life. He began making promises to stop being a coward as long as she was all right and would protect her; he'd never leave her side again and hide like he is now. She had already gone through so much with all of the town's people treating her like trash because she had a child with no father present.

The door to his room opened and Ichigo held his breath as footsteps entered the room. He heard a man sneer as he walked around the room, knocking everything over in order to find something valuable.

"This is nothing but kid's crap," the man sneered as another walked in and Ichigo felt his heart break. If these men were able to get by his mother did that mean… He buried his head in his arms to stop from breaking down and crying right there. His mother had kept him safe at the cost of her life. "What do ya want us to do now, Grand Fisher?" the man asked before Ichigo heard a slap.

"We already killed the bitch and she didn't have anything hiding here, let's go," Grand Fisher responded before Ichigo heard footsteps leave the room. He heard them leave the house, but didn't dare leave his spot under the bed. His mother was reallydead? He finally broke down and started sobbing.

* * *

Aizen watched Ichigo bury his head in his hands, trying desperately to not break down from the memory. He didn't interrupt the young man who was remembering the night of his mother's murder.

"I stayed there for I don't know how long," Ichigo's voice cracked as he looked up and swallowed. His eyes were puffy and red, but tears didn't fall from them. "When I finally decided to leave, I found her…" Ichigo paused as he shut his eyes as memories of his mother's corpse in the main room with blood surrounding her filled his mind. He took a deep breath before he continued.

"I found her there. I remember breaking down once I saw her body, it made it even more real than what I was trying to deny when I was under the bed. I didn't want to believe it, that maybe she was pretending to be dead so those men would leave. However, when I saw her body… it made everything so real," Ichigo repeated and refused to look Aizen in the eyes.

"I did learn one thing about her," Ichigo told the older man and looked off to the side in thought. "I didn't understand it back then, but it made more sense later. In her hand was a broken zanpakutou. She had never brought it out when I was around and I only thought she had found a weapon to use against the other man, but she was a shinigami…" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He could still feel the ache in his chest from the sight of his mother.

"I didn't know what to do. She always took care of me, and now I was all alone. I remember venturing out on my own and saw all the damage that was caused from that night. Houses were torn down and there were a bunch of bodies in the streets. There were people crying and hugging those they had lost," Ichigo shut his eyes and shook his head as he clenched the bed sheets. "Do you know what really ticked me off the most?" Ichigo looked at Aizen, whose face was filled with sympathy.

"What happened?" Aizen asked in a warm comforting voice.

"While I was walking around trying to find some food, a group of shinigami were there observing the damage. They walked by us like we were nothing. They didn't help those who had lost everything and simply recorded what had happened, after, they left!" He growled and stared down at the white bed sheet. "I knew a lot of people around that area hated shinigamis, and I never knew why. I had heard of them, but had never seen one until that point. I could see why so many people hated them. I can see why my mother had quit being one and tried to live somewhere else," he sighed and leaned back. Of course, that opinion would soon change.

* * *

**I ended up burying my mother in the back of the house. It… it was one of the hardest things I had ever done. Every day I would find flowers and I would set them on her grave. I still was unable to find anyone since I was still known as a bastard to most of them. I would sit by her grave and talk to her. Then one day I met the weirdest man…**

Ichigo coughed as he continued to walk even though his vision was becoming blurry. He had not been feeling well for some time and his forehead was warm. The back of his throat hurt when he swallowed and his nose continued to drip. People passed by him like nothing was wrong, and he was used to it. He knew the only person he could depend on was himself, but at the moment, he didn't know how long he could go on like this.

"Are you alright?" He heard a man's voice ask from behind him and turned around to see a tall man wearing shinigami robes and a white coat over it. Ichigo's eyes widened slightly when he looked at the blond man and took a few steps back. He didn't know what he had done to catch the shinigami's attention, but he didn't want any trouble, especially now.

"I'm fine, I didn't do anything wrong," Ichigo retorted and the shinigami chuckled before bending down.

"I did not accuse you of anything; I simply asked if you were alright. You look like you have a fever," the man said and smiled at him.

"There is nothing wrong with me," Ichigo protested and just his luck he began to cough.

"Ah of course, though perhaps we could visit a friend of mine and she could give you something for that cough," the man suggested and Ichigo backed away from him. He didn't want anything to do with this man and just wanted to go home before he passed out.

"I don't know who you are, but-" Ichigo began to say when the man stood up and smiled.

"My name is Urahara Kisuke," Urahara greeted, leaving out his title as a captain. He didn't want to intimidate the boy more than he apparently was. "Now you know who I am," he sang and the kid rolled his eyes. "May I ask who…" he started to say when he saw the kid swaying on his feet and immediately rushed forward when the brown eyes rolled into the back of his head. He caught the kid before he fell to the ground and held him. Obviously, the kid was a lot sicker than he thought.

He sighed as he debated on what to do. He couldn't leave Ichigo in the Rukongai, and he originally planned to recruit him to the academy since it would be safer than living on the streets. Then again, the kid was wary of him, which was understandable, and hadn't wanted to go along with him. He glanced down at the kid one last time and picked him up. He had made a promise and was going to keep it: he was going to make sure Ichigo remained safe.

**The man told me his name was Urahara Kisuke. Like everyone else I had encountered, I didn't trust him. I didn't know how he found me and it scared me. The only thing I knew of the shinigami at that time was that they were bad people; they had to be, why else would everyone hate them?**

Ichigo slowly opened his eyes, his vision remaining fuzzy as he gazed around the small tent that Urahara had set up for the night. Upon spotting the man, he immediately became alert and backed away from him. "You! I told you to leave me alone!" Ichigo shouted through his hoarse voice that still stung.

"I thought it might be wrong to leave you in the streets, so I decided to bring you with me," Urahara replied in a calm voice, but the boy only glared at him.

"I didn't ask for your help!" Ichigo protested and crossed his arms over his chest, and got only more annoyed when Urahara chuckled.

"Then simply allow me to take you to the fourth division so they can help you with that fever, after you can go on your merry way," Urahara told him and Ichigo's expression softened slightly, but he still didn't trust the man.

"Why would you want to help me?" Ichigo asked him. As far as he knew, shinigami didn't care about the poor mongrels that wandered the streets. They only came to do their assessments before leaving. Why was this man different?

"Why not? You are obviously not feeling well and I would be cold-hearted if I allowed someone so young to wander the streets like that," Urahara stated and noticed the boys gaze seemed to soften slightly. "Ah how rude of me, I never asked what your name is," the older man laughed out loud and rubbed the back of his head.

Ichigo seemed to study the man for a while and was debating if he could trust this man. He was a shinigami, but he did not seem like the others he encountered. He seemed friendly enough and there was no one else in his life he could turn to for advice. He sighed and hoped that he wouldn't regret it later and looked up at the blond captain. "Kurosaki Ichigo," he replied and Urahara nodded, though already knowing who the boy really was. The boy was-

"Dumbass!" Ichigo's eyes widened when the man in front of him was kicked in the back by a blond girl with pigtails. He looked over at Urahara and the man seemed to be fine and was laughing the attack off. The girl on the other hand was fuming and eyes burned with anger towards the older shinigami before she looked down at him. "Why did you take this kid?" The girl shouted and raised her fists at her captain.

"Ah good evening, Hiyori-kun, this is Ichigo-kun. He was not feeling well so-" Hiyori's captain began to explain, but the angered expression never left the short girl's face.

"Idiot you can't just take kids off the streets!" Hiyori yelled and pointed her finger at him. "People will think you're kidnapping him and I'm sure there is a rule about this! You have to get approval from the head captain first!" she growled and felt her eye twitch. She felt like taking her sandal off and beating the idiot blond into the ground.

"My name is Ichigo, not kid!" Ichigo interrupted the two after getting a little annoyed with how Hiyori was referring to him. He was not some helpless child; he had been living on the streets for a while after his mother died.

"No one asked you, pipsqueak!" Hiyori yelled at Ichigo and folded her arms over her chest.

"I wouldn't be able to hear it over your voice, snaggletooth!" Ichigo shot back and Hiyori narrowed her eyes. Urahara had been enjoying the show and had been slightly impressed that the boy had stood up to Hiyori, even if it was an arguing contest, however, when he saw her reaching down for her sandal, he knew it was time to end it.

"That is quite enough now, I will contact Captain Yamamoto when we get back," Urahara laughed as he pushed Hiyori towards the entrance of the tent.

"Why the hell are you even taking this kid, you should have left him!" Hiyori shouted as she stepped outside with Urahara who was trying to calm her down so she did not beat up another shinigami that was traveling with them. They still had thirty more districts to go through until they were back in the Seireitei and it would be a long trip with a pissed off Hiyori.

"He is important," Urahara whispered and turned back towards the tent. The blond girl's angry expression turned into a surprised one. She had thought that her captain was just picking up strays.

"Why?" she asked and placed a hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side.

"I will tell you later after we get back," Urahara replied with a small smile before heading back in the tent to find the young boy.

**That girl was annoying, and luckily, I was asleep during most of the traveling and did not have to hear her complaining. The next thing I remembered was waking up in a room that is similar to this one…**

Ichigo opened his eyes and yawned before looking down in surprise at the soft warm bed he was lying in. He looked around the white room with a curtain hanging from the wall to the left. To his right, a window was open allowing sunlight to enter the room. He slowly sat up and took a deep breath when he realized that his throat was starting to feel better.

"It is good to see you're awake," a beautiful woman with long braided black hair came into the room with a warm smile. Ichigo stared dumbfounded at the woman as she took a seat on the edge of his bed. Her smile reminded him so much of his mother. "My name is Captain Unohana and I have been taking care of you since Captain Urahara dropped you off this morning. How are you feeling?" She asked him with concern.

"I feel better than before," Ichigo replied, feeling a bit nervous around the stranger, especially a captain class shinigami who could kill him with a blink of an eye, though she did not seem like the type. He was almost wishing for Urahara to be here just for a familiar face, even if he hadn't known the man that long.

"That is good," Captain Unohana smiled as she placed a hand on his forehead and felt that it was still warm. "Hm, the fever is still present. We'll have to try something else for that. I will have someone bring in some special tea; it should break up the fever. I would like it if you stayed for a few days to make sure it doesn't come back, if that is alright with you, Kurosaki-san," she suggested.

Ichigo looked at the friendly woman with hesitation in his eyes. He wanted to protest, but what else was there for him? He had no one but his mother's grave to take care of. He had to worry about bullies and gangs that still roamed the streets. This place seemed friendly enough, or so he hoped. "Yeah, it's alright," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders as Captain Unohana stood up and bowed her head towards him.

"I am glad to hear that. Captain Urahara has told me he will come by sometime after he is done sorting things out in his division, so until then, rest up," she told him.

Ichigo sighed as he leaned against his pillow and watched as the older woman left without another word. He couldn't believe that Urahara was actually a captain. Why would a captain take interest in a poor kid from the lower end of the Rukongai? Ichigo crossed his arms and looked towards the window. It all seemed too much like a fairy tale for his liking and felt there was more behind all of this. There were others that were sick in the Rukongai that needed caring, but they were left to survive on their own.

_What do I do, mom?_ Ichigo asked as he looked at the window one last time before settling under the covers once more and drifted off to sleep.

**I don't think I had ever been more paranoid than I had ever been in my life, but the fourth division was different from anything I had ever experienced. I didn't know what these people's intentions were, or if they wanted something for taking care of me. Not since my mother did someone fuss if I didn't eat or if I didn't get enough rest. Captain Unohana visited me frequently and tried to get me to open up, but I hadn't known her for that long. I was afraid of telling her about my mother. I was afraid she would look down at me in disgust for not protecting her.**

"Ah Kurosaki-kun, how are you holding up?" Captain Urahara greeted Ichigo as he walked into the boy's room three days later. He had been so busy with the disappearances that had been occurring in the Rukongai, which in turn, had stirred many captains' meetings that he didn't have time. It was one of many reasons why he had sought the boy out before anything happened to him. He knew later that day there would be another meeting since the ninth division had not returned yet and a rescue party would be sent soon. He wanted to check on the boy one last time in case anything happened. If anything did, he was sure Captain Unohana would take care of him, knowing how motherly she could be.

"Fine," Ichigo replied and sat up in bed. He was allowed to walk around the division if he wanted, but chose to stay in his room where it was safe.

"I'm sorry for not visiting your sooner, but I've been busy," Urahara said as he sat down in the chair next to the orange-haired boy's bed. He certainly looked better than he had before. There was more color to his face and his brown eyes seemed brighter than before.

"That's alright," Ichigo shrugged his shoulders before he shivered. He had forgotten to close his window and the wind was picking up outside. "I was wondering, what is going to happen to me after I get better?" He asked the older man.

"Hm, well if you want to go back to the Rukongai, you certainly can, or you can stay here and become a shinigami. Your reiatsu seems high enough," Urahara smiled at him. "The decision is yours, though I do hope you will stay here. I wish I had more time to talk to you, but I have some other duties to take care of. I'll be back for you."

**I was starting to feel that I might have a place here. Urahara seemed to want me to stay and become a shinigami. I had never thought about it before. Especially after seeing the other shinigami after my mother died… they were so cold that they didn't even stop to see if people were alright. I didn't want to be like that, but I thought maybe there was a chance that I could make a difference. I could help those who need help and maybe change people's view about the shinigami where I grew up. I could protect them so their families would not be separated like mine was. I waited for Urahara to return, and I was going to tell him I wanted to be a shinigami. I waited, and then I heard the news that shattered my world once more…**

Ichigo wandered down the halls of the fourth division. He had been so bored the last few days he thought he would go crazy if he stayed in his room any longer. He had passed other rooms with injured or sick shinigami, but didn't dare enter. People ran up and down the hallways with supplies and he moved out of their way. He tried to find Captain Unohana and ask when Urahara was coming back, but was unable to locate her.

"Do you know where the captain is?" a short shinigami with shoulder length black hair asked a taller one with blond hair and a goatee on his face.

"What, you didn't hear? All the captains are having a mandatory meeting after what Captain Urahara pulled," the blond asked and the short boy shook his head. Ichigo turned around and hid inside a door so he could listen in. Especially if the news concerned Urahara.

"You know how the ninth division went to investigate the missing people and other captains and lieutenants went to find them? Well apparently Urahara had been experimenting on them and turned them part hollow," the blonde replied and Ichigo heard a gasp from the boy.

"How is that possible? Why would he do something like that?" The boy asked in a shocked tone.

"I didn't hear how he did it, but I know that the captains that were experimented on are being held in prison until Central 46 decides what they are going to do with them. As for Urahara, he and the kido captain are being imprisoned and will be on trial tomorrow. I heard he has really gone crazy. He kept shouting that the fifth division lieutenant was the one who was behind it. He must be a loon since that lieutenant is so nice and people saw him that night. He is just trying to get out of his sentence and place the blame on other people," the blonde muttered with disgust.

"That's terrible. I always thought Captain Urahara was so nice," the boy shook his head. Ichigo felt himself freeze with terror. Urahara had experimented on innocent people? Would people blame him as well since Urahara had brought him to the Seireitei? "I wonder what is going to happen to that boy he brought in."

"He is probably one of Urahara's experiments or a good test subject. Why else would he bring a Rukongai brat from the streets here? I heard he didn't even ask Captain Yamamoto's permission to bring him, so that kid is here illegally," the blond said, but Ichigo had stopped listening. His entire body felt numb and cold. Was that Urahara's true purpose for bringing him here? To experiment on him?

Ichigo backed away and ran towards the door, not caring who he bumped into. He needed to get out of there. The shinigami would be coming after him for his association with Urahara for sure! He closed his eyes and held back tears that threatened to run down his cheeks. He had been betrayed by a man he thought he could trust.

* * *

A/N: as I said at the top, I was beginning to feel guilty that this was taking so long, but my writing time has pretty much been cut to one hour and that's if I don't fall asleep after work first. I was beginning to rush the second part just to update, which is another reason why this got split into two. I didn't want to rush just for the sake of this being updated and wanted to take my time and put more effort into the last part which is probably the most important part. Majority of it is already written, but I want to clean it up.

Also, just wanted to point out, there was quite a bit Masaki hid from Ichigo. The biggest thing will definitely come back and haunt him later (and there is a small hint in here of what that is).

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, please review, and the next chapter will be up SOON!


	16. Memories Best Forgotten Part 1 B

Thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed, Aizen plushies for all (just got mine yesterday and he is so adorable!)

Sorry this chapter took so long, I've been so busy that I am close to pulling out the rest of my hair from stress. I've had so little time to write lately, and it's been so depressing!

Special super thanks **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for betaing this chapter so fast!

* * *

Ichigo shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. "He is the reason why I don't trust people. I thought he was sincere, but after hearing what he had done, I was scared of what he really had planned for me. He didn't care that I was sick, not someone as heartless as how they described him," Ichigo looked over at Aizen who took off his glasses and shook his head.

"Kurosaki-san, may I please interrupt?" Aizen requested and waited for the boy to nod. He did not want to interrupt if the boy didn't want to and it was up to him. Eventually, he'd be telling the boy what he had to say one way or another, and right now when the memories of betrayal were still fresh in his mind.

Ichigo nodded, needing a small break before he got to the worst part. "I remember Captain Urahara very well," he sighed, catching Ichigo's attention. "I was the lieutenant that he accused of experimenting on the captains," he revealed.

"What?" Ichigo whispered in shock. It was hard to believe someone as calm and cool as his captain could be accused of such acts. From what he had seen of Aizen, the man was always gentle to those around him and never raised his voice, even during their training. Exactly how crazy was Urahara?

"It was a very hard time for me. I had just lost my captain who I admired more than anyone. I always tried to improve myself and be there for any order he gave. When he left with the other captains to search for the ninth division captain and squad members, I was left in charge of the fifth. I didn't dare leave my position, and to be accused of experimenting on people I admired was an insult that I will never forgive." Aizen shook his head, though in his mind he was smiling. Throwing a bit more salt on the wound couldn't hurt. Especially if the ex-captain tried to come after Ichigo. "I am glad you did not have another encounter with that horrible man. I am sorry for interrupting, please continue," he said and sat back in his chair.

Ichigo took a deep breath, wondering if he'd be able to continue that last part without breaking down…

* * *

**Once I was able to escape the Seireitei, I ran through the streets of the Rukongai, going as far as I could. I was afraid of the shinigami tracking me down and questioning me about what Urahara had done and being imprisoned with him. I don't remember how far I had gotten in a week or where I was, but there was one event that had changed my life. **

Ichigo walked along the market, ignoring his growling stomach as he smelled the delicious food in the air. He hadn't eaten since the day before, but the only way to eat was by stealing, and he was never good at that task. He stopped and hid behind a group of people while eying a large man selling bread. He licked his lips as his stomach gurgled once more, begging for food. He knew that was one option he could not succumb to; he had seen people kicked or slapped for doing such acts. He needed to act fast when the man was not looking.

He watched the man for several minutes, noting he would turn his head every time a woman would walk by and greet her. It would only last for a few seconds and his eyes were off the last loaf of bread that was on the edge of the table. Timing had to be perfect with this, especially if the man didn't do as he predicted or someone alerts the clerk. Unfortunately, there were only two options: don't take the food and starve or take the food at the risk of getting caught.

Ichigo stepped away from the group he had been hiding behind and looked down the street to see mostly men walking with a few children running around in the streets. They wouldn't do. He turned his head to look at the clerk and the man had a bored expression on his face and didn't pay attention to those walking by him. Ichigo's stomach growled once more and he turned to look the other way to find a woman that would soon pass by the clerk. This was perfect.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you," a female voice startled him and he spun around to find a girl that looked to be around the same age as him and was about an inch shorter than him with short black hair. Her arms were crossed and she was shaking her head.

"How do you know what I was going to do?" Ichigo asked suspiciously and took a step back.

"We've all tried it, the only way to steal from him is to do it in pairs. But with that old geezer, well," the girl took a step forward and placed her hand on Ichigo's shoulder and pointed towards a man that was sitting two stores over. "They look out for each other. If someone steals from one shop, they consider it a theft from their own and will hunt and beat you," she revealed and Ichigo looked at the other clerks who were next to the stand that he had been eying. He had never thought of that possibility, though he knew he should have. Many people formed bonds of agreement in order to survive the streets.

"How come I've never seen you before?" She asked, breaking his thoughts. He looked at her and took a step back when she placed her arms across her chest.

"I'm not from around here, I was trying to get home," he replied and wondered if she'd leave him alone if he tried to sneak away. She didn't seem like a mean person, but he didn't want to deal with anyone after being betrayed by Urahara.

"And you're crossing through this area? You're lucky someone didn't beat the crap out of you, especially with how weak you look," the girl said with a smile causing Ichigo to scowl.

"I am not weak!" Ichigo growled at her. He clenched his hands into fists and charged at her to take a swing. The girl easily caught his fist and then brought her leg up to knee him in the stomach. Ichigo groaned in pain as he fell to his knees as the girl let go of his hand.

"You still think you're not weak?" The girl mocked him, but Ichigo kept his head down, refusing to look at her. Her cocky grin soon disappeared when she saw him turn his head away in shame and then felt slightly guilty for embarrassing him. She had only done it to protect herself, even though she doubted the punch he swung at her would have done any damage. With his attitude, she thought he would get all pissy and storm off, not sit on the ground in defeat.

"Just leave me alone," Ichigo whispered as he got to his feet, not bothering to dust his clothes off. He didn't look at her and turned away and started walking up the street, still hungry and feeling even more worthless than before.

"Hey! I wasn't done talking to you, kid." The girl ran up beside him, but he refused to look or talk to her. "Sorry about that back there, but it did prove my point. You're not strong enough to be on the streets," she told him and he shut his eyes for a brief moment as if trying to block out her words.

"I've lived on the streets my whole life…" Ichigo finally spoke after two minutes of silence. He didn't want to bring up the fact that part of that time was with his mother, and the rest of it was him gathering food and returning home as quickly as possible.

"Then no one obviously taught you how to fight or you've never been in one, which is surprising. You have to be able to do more than to swing your fists at people. If you had tried stealing, they would have beaten you. No one cares if you're a child or an adult here, the only thing that is important to them in survival. We don't have the luxury of living in fancy homes and never have to worry about starving like some of the rich families that live in the higher districts. If you continue like this, you're not going to survive that long," she stated and noticed a flicker of sadness flash in his eyes. "I can teach you," she offered and he finally stopped walking, not caring that a woman carrying a basket grumbled that the two kids stopped in front of her and she now had to go around them. Instead, he turned and looked at her suspiciously. It should be an easy answer: yes or no. However, after his recent ordeal with Urahara he was finding it harder to trust people's true intentions. What did she gain out of helping him?

"Why would you want to help me, I just met you," he stated and scowled when she rolled her eyes at him.

"My name is Tatsuki, and I want to help you because there was no one there to help me when I began living by myself. I had to learn these things as I went and it was a lot harder. I don't have anyone else, so why not, unless you're embarrassed about a girl teaching you how to fight," she smirked at him and he crossed his arms.

"You just got lucky," he narrowed his eyes and she shook her head. He thought for a brief moment, she did seem sincere about what she was saying especially if she was like him and had no one. Perhaps it couldn't hurt, what else did he have to lose…

"You're stomach is growling again and it's getting annoying," Tatsuki interrupted his thought as she poked him in the stomach. He batted her hand away, but she grabbed it and began pulling him along the street. "Come on, kid, let's get you some food before I have to punch you, again."

"You didn't punch me before, and my name is Ichigo, not kid!" He protested, but most of his complaints went ignored.

"Fine, I'll kick you again," she corrected.

**I didn't know what to think about her at first. She was rougher than any other girl that I had seen before. She didn't take crap from others, but had a soft side to her that was seen rarely. She barely talked about her life on the streets before she met me unless she was teaching me how to fight. She is the only reason why I am good at hand-to-hand combat. She'd drill me on in everyday and show me every technique she had picked up over the years. At the beginning, I doubted I would stay with her, but she ended up becoming like a sister to me. She protected me and I'd protect her anyway I could. We traveled for several months until we finally reached my old home…**

"Wow, this place looks worse than where I grew up," Tatsuki muttered under her breath as they walked down the street with several buildings that had broken windows and holes through the walls. The scent of waste filled the air and Tatsuki wrinkled her nose in order to try to get used to it. She had promised Ichigo that they'd find his home and had finally arrived in his old district. She hadn't expected him to grow up in such a dumpy area.

"It's always been like this, it was why I never went out much… It's here." Ichigo stopped in front of a small house and Tatsuki could see that his legs looked shaky as if they were about to give out. He had talked about this place often and how he wanted to go back, even if it wasn't the most desirable place to live. It looked small enough to fit a very small family, and that was it. Then again, she knew she had places that he'd probably never understand why they were important to her, and it was because of this that she never made a negative comment about his home.

She watched as he took a step forward before he darted around the side of the building and ran towards the small backyard. Tatsuki's eyes widened and she ran after him, not knowing where his current mindset was at. It was possible that he was upset, angry, or happy about being back home, she didn't know and wanted to make sure he was alright. When she caught up with him, she found him kneeing by a pile of small rocks and what looked like the hilt of a broken sword.

"Ichigo, are you alright?" she asked him curiously as she took another step forward.

"It's still here," he whispered and flopped backwards so he was sitting on the dirty ground, but he didn't care. He had been worried that his mother's grave had been destroyed while he was gone, but it was still intact.

"What is this?" she asked him and sat down next to him, and noticed a shift in his demeanor. Sadness filled his eyes as he looked over the rocks and shook his head.

"This is where I buried my mother after a few men killed her," he whispered and bent his knees up and rested his chin against them. "It was a while ago, and I miss her more than anything." He sighed and closed his eyes to bury his head into his knees. "I know I probably sound weak," he said, though not really caring. The neighbor kids would always laugh and call him a "mama's boy" but he didn't care. She was his whole universe and it had been shattered when she had died. He was surprised that he had lived this long.

"No you don't," Tatsuki placed a hand on his shoulder, surprising him and he glanced over at her. She also wore a sad expression and scooted closer to him. "It shows that you loved her, and if you didn't love her you wouldn't be sad that she is gone. I… I had a similar experience. I grew up with a mom, dad, and a sister. Our parents vanished and we never saw them again. We didn't know if they grew tired of us or were killed. My sister pretty much raised me after that. One day we were traveling when there was a hollow attack. No one knew how the hollows could have invaded the area. We ran to try to get away from them, but I got trampled under the mob of people that were running and my sister wouldn't leave until she found me. As soon as the mob cleared, I saw my sister just as the hollow pounced and devoured her…" she stopped to wipe a rare tear that fell half way down her cheek.

"I know what it is like to lose someone, and it's not weakness to show that you loved them, no matter what anyone else says…"

**After that, we had an even better understanding of one another. We both had our losses and felt it was our fault for them. That same night we had made a pact to never leave each other behind. If one of us was in danger, the other would be there to defend them. We spent the next couple of years traveling from my home back to where she grew up every few months. Both places were special to us, and even though I didn't want to leave my home or my mother's grave, I knew she didn't like leaving where she grew up either. **

"Hey Ichigo, have you ever thought of becoming a shinigami?" Tatsuki asked him as she stretched out on the floor of Ichigo's house. She stretched her tired legs out to relieve the aches and pains from their travel across the Rukongai together. She glanced over at her orange-haired friend who was sitting against the wall with a blanket covering most of his body. She rolled her eyes; he was still such a wimp even after all the training she had given him.

Ichigo brought the blanket closer as a chill ran through his body. He thought of Tatsuki's words, to become a shinigami. It was still a hard subject for him to answer. "I don't know," he whispered and placed his arms across his knees to rest against them.

"What do you mean you don't know? Yes or no," Tatsuki shouted at him and then shook her head.

"Well, what about you?" he asked her, quirking an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes at her.

"I would think that would be obvious, I want to be a shinigami," she answered with a small smile. Her eyes seemed to drift off even though she was staring at him. "The chance to become stronger and properly trained in fighting. I'd find every hollow and kill them all for what they did to my sister. I'd be the best, and maybe if you were strong enough, you could be my lieutenant," she chuckled teasingly and Ichigo scowled at her.

"I could make captain," Ichigo protested and brought his legs closer to his chest.

"So you have thought about it before," Tatsuki raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk.

"I… I did before, but I doubt I'd be allowed in," Ichigo sighed catching his friend's attention. He hadn't told Tatsuki what happened during his short time in the Seireitei, the subject hadn't crossed his mind and there was no reason to bring it up until now. He trusted her, probably just as much as he trusted his mother. Sure, she teased him every time she beat him during their matches, but with any serious matters, she was always there to listen and never judged him.

"You promise never to tell?" Ichigo looked at her and she looked at him confused before getting up and walking over to him.

"Why, is it something that big?" She asked before bending down in front of him and saw him bite his lip. She sighed and rolled her eyes once more before smacking him in the forehead. "Idiot, I wouldn't tell a soul what you tell me if it is that important. You should know better by now," she told him and sat down in front of him, taking part of his blanket.

Ichigo gave a small smile and nodded, knowing she was right. "Years ago I trusted this shinigami captain and he took me to the Seireitei and I stayed in the fourth division," he revealed, surprising her. "I stayed there because I was sick and was offered a chance to become a shinigami and was ready to accept it until I found out that the captain who brought me in had experimented on others. I heard some other talking that he was probably going to experiment on me and I also felt like I was going to be blamed because I arrived there with him a few days before he was put on trial. I ran away from there and then met you," he finished and noticed Tatsuki's expression hadn't faltered.

"That's it? So you ran into one messed-up captain, and I doubt they could blame a kid just because you associated with him. I mean, if he was a captain, wouldn't his whole squad be blamed and everyone he ever talked to be suspects too?" She asked him and he didn't know what to say. "I never thought I'd say it, but you need to not put too much thought into this. I mean, wouldn't they be out searching for you now? And with them, they would be able to find you easily." Ichigo nodded, for the first time thinking that maybe things were not as bad as he had originally thought, in the case of the Seireitei. He had given up his dream to become a shinigami after being betrayed by Urahara, but he was one shinigami out of many others. The man couldn't be trusted, but all of them couldn't be like that.

"I know every two years or so they have tryouts for some of the people in the Rukongai that have strong enough reiatsu. Maybe we should try out for it," she smiled at him and he nodded. "And don't worry, if you don't make it, I won't leave you behind," she teased causing him to scowl.

"I would make it!" He yelled over her laughing.

**We continued traveling back and forth like we had before, but we stepped up our training. We practiced more and I was getting better. I was starting to beat her finally in some of the matches. We were able to come up with new moves to use on each other after we had learned the other's strategy. We planned on making it into the shinigami academy together. However, we both swore if one of us didn't make it, then neither of us would attend. Then… then one night it…**

"What happened around here?" Tatsuki asked as they were walking through the sixty-eighth North Rukongai district and noticed the place was completely quiet. The sun was still out, but the streets were empty that the only sound that was heard was the wind blowing by them.

"I don't know; it wasn't like this the last time we were here…" Ichigo muttered as he looked around, feeling uneasy about the situation. There was something different about the air that told him to run and drag Tatsuki with him. He looked down at her and noticed she was looking around as well.

"Come on, let's get through this place as fast as possible. This whole thing is giving me the creeps." She told him as she took a step forward, making sure he was close.

"What's so creepy about it?" They heard a voice ask from behind them and spun around to find two men emerge from the shadows of an alley. Both were taller than the two of them. "There's no reason to fear us, we just want to have some fun… with her," he leered at Tatsuki who raised her fists and Ichigo instantly stood in front of his friend.

"Look at the little boy trying to defend his girlfriend, we'll have to do something about that. At least before the boss comes and ruins our fun," the other man grinned and took a step forward.

"How about I kick your fucking face in," Ichigo growled. There was no way he would allow these men to touch Tatsuki. He had sworn to protect her and not run like a coward like he had been with his mother. He would stand a fight, even if it cost him his life.

"You're going to let him talk that way to ya?" The first man snickered as the second approached the orange-haired young man.

"You're going to regret talking to me you little pu-" before he could finish, Ichigo punched him in the face and kicked him in the stomach, sending him back. Tatsuki looked mildly impressed that her friend had defended himself, but it was short lived as the first man came racing at them after seeing his comrade be taken down.

"Ichigo," Tatsuki warned and took a step forward. She waited until the man was close and watched as Ichigo punched him and then she quickly swung her leg out and kicked the man's legs out from under him. He fell with a hard thud and Ichigo placed a foot on top of his chest and stomped on it again, earning a painful moan from the man.

"Now apologize to her," Ichigo demanded and narrowed his eyes when the man spit at his foot. The young man raised his foot up and continued to kick him. Tatsuki watched from the side and glanced over at the man's friend to notice he had disappeared.

"Ichigo, let's get out of here," she whispered to him and tugged on his sleeve. He looked down at her, noticing the hint of fear in her voice. He had never heard her sound so vulnerable as she did now and if she was worried, it couldn't be good.

"Alright, let's get out of here," he nodded and felt himself freeze when they heard a chuckle.

"You're not going anywhere," a dark male voice stated that send shivers down both of their spines. They turned to see a group of men emerge, one was the man Ichigo had taken down. The man who spoke was in the center of the group, wearing a thick brown fur coat. He had red hair that came down to his ears and a huge grin on his face. "We have been waiting for someone to pass through this area. It is my territory now. It looks friendly enough and no one would suspect a thing, and of course it would not attract the shinigami's attention," he laughed as Ichigo and Tatsuki took a step back only to run into more men that had surrounded them.

_That voice… I've heard that voice before._ Ichigo stared at the boss, not even caring that they were surrounded. His mind was racing to where he had heard that voice before.

**I always swore I would avenge my mother and kill the bastard that killed her. That night when I heard that voice, I had finally come face to face with the man who had killed her: Grand Fisher. **

Ichigo's eyes widened and he clenched his fists, not even paying attention to Tatsuki who was trying to fight off the men surrounding them. Instead, his attention was focused on the man who had murdered his mother. He had imagined this moment for so long and it was finally here. Not only that, he was strong enough to fight and avenge her death. His eyes didn't even focus on the others that were surrounding him, if he had, he would have known it was hopeless.

"You bastard!" Ichigo yelled before he ran at Grand Fisher, planning on beating the life out of him. However, before he reached the red-haired man, someone from the side punched the side of his face and he fell to the ground. It was then that he realized the situation he was in. There were at least fifteen men surrounding them and he had little chance to killing Grand Fisher with them around. He turned to look back at Tatsuki and found two men holding her.

"Ichigo, get out of here!" Tatsuki shouted at him as one of the men placed a hand over her mouth and others began approaching him. Ichigo's eyes widened in terror, but not for himself, but for his friend. She had been a mentor, friend, and he even considered her the sister he never had. She had filled a void in his life that had been missing for so long. Now, he was placed in the same situation as when he was younger. He knew he couldn't leave her; he had to protect her like she had done for him. He was not going to be a coward and run away!

"Stop it, leave her alone!" Ichigo shouted as he ran at one of the large men and punched him in the stomach, but it had no effect. He kicked the man's legs, but it only caused him to laugh.

"This is pathetic," the man laughed one last time before he slapped Ichigo across the face and sent the boy to the ground. "Looks like we got something to play with for the next few minutes," he chuckled and pulled Ichigo up by his hair, enjoying the cry of pain erupting from the boy.

"Let me go!" Tatsuki yelled and tried to kick one of the men, but it had no effect as the one caught her leg and twisted it. She cried out in pain and stopped resisting against the men.

"Don't touch her!" Ichigo shouted, but one of the men placed his hand over the boy's mouth, silencing him. Ichigo struggled to try to break away from them. He saw Grand Fisher leering at him before turning his attention to Tatsuki.

"Bring the girl into one of the buildings so I can have some fun, you can kill the brat for all I care," Grand Fisher sneered as the two men began dragging a kicking Tatsuki away and three others moved in on Ichigo.

_Help her,_ he yelled to himself as he dodged one of the punches that was aimed at him. He evaded another one, until a man snuck up behind him and held his arms behind his back. The other two laughed as they took turns punching the young man. He winced as he felt pain shoot through his chest as one of his ribs cracked. Another fist to his face followed by another repeatedly. He saw a blur of silver as one pulled out a knife, but his mind was focused on his friend.

"NO STOP IT!" Tatsuki's voice echoed and Ichigo clenched his eyes shut, ignoring his own pain.

_You idiot, you are so weak! You could help her easily, you're no better than them!_ He berated himself and tried to headbutt the man holding him, only for his wrist to be twisted. He clenched his eyes shut as pain shot through his arm.

"PLEASE DON'T"

_You want to protect people, nice job you're doing. You can't even protect yourself, you're so damn useless!_ Ichigo bit his bloody lip until it bled even more. He could feel something in his mind cracking. He had felt the same pain when his mother had been killed, but the crack kept ripping through his mind until he felt something snap.

Almost instantly, he felt a huge wave of reiatsu leak from his body, strong enough that the men surrounding him instantly backed away and dropped him into the small puddle of blood that surrounded him.

He never felt himself hit the ground or what happened to the men. The next thing he knew was darkness as his eyes slipped shut.

**That was the last thing I remembered before I passed out and woke up in the fourth division. I spent months in there because of my injuries, laying there knowing that I had failed again. All I could hear in my sleep was Tatsuki screaming for them to stop and then silence. I didn't know if she had fallen unconscious or if they had killed her. It wasn't until the third day that I was able to find out from Captain Unohana.**

Ichigo laid in bed with bandages wrapped around his head and angry bruises littered his cheek. He had been told that the gang had broken his jaw, cracked two ribs, snapped his left wrist, needed stitches across his stomach where he had been slashed with a knife, and several bruises that had littered his body. His gaze was fixed on the closed window and he hadn't even heard the door open until footsteps approached his bed.

"Kurosaki-san?" Captain Unohana asked in a gentle voice and Ichigo turned to look at her. He saw the pity in her eyes and wanted it to go away. It made him feel weaker than he already knew he was. "I know you are unable to communicate for a while so I brought some paper and if you have anything you need, just write it down," she told him and placed it on his bed. She had been his only visitor since he had woken up. She explained to him that the twelfth division had picked up a person that was radiating high reiatsu and a group was sent out to find him. They brought him back to the fourth division to recover from his injuries.

Ichigo looked down at the paper and then back at her as she sat down in the chair. He raised his hand and picked up a pencil that laid on top of the paper and began scribbling the best he could on the pad. Captain Unohana watched him patiently. She felt terrible for what had happened to the young man she had taken care of years ago. If only she had paid more attention, maybe he wouldn't have run away and none of this would have happened. She had been surprised to come back to find the empty room and no one could tell her where Ichigo had gone until a few days ago when he was brought in. He looked a little older than the first time she had seen him, but his orange hair hadn't changed. What had surprised her was the fact he was leaking reiatsu. Before, he only had a small hint of it, but now, it was like a faucet leaking.

Ichigo finished writing and Captain Unohana picked up the note and felt guilt wash over her.

What happened to Tatsuki?

She assumed that Tatsuki was the name of the girl that was also brought in with him. She looked down at him and placed a comforting hand over his. "I am sorry Kurosaki-san," she said sorrowfully. She did not have to go on, he knew instantly what she meant by it. She was dead, just like his mother. He had failed another person that was important to him. He felt tears well up in his eyes and didn't care when they fell. He had just lost his best friend, no, his sister. He had broken his promise to help her…

* * *

Ichigo had his head buried in his hands, too ashamed to look at his captain. "After that I stayed in the fourth division and was healed. I had missed the chance to attend to shinigami academy and had to wait. For a while, I hadn't wanted to, but Captain Unohana convinced me. She wouldn't let me leave the Seireitei, even just for a walk because she was afraid I would run again. But mostly, it was what Tatsuki had wanted and was my dream before. I knew with all the training I had done with her it was still not enough. I wanted to become stronger so I wouldn't have to see someone else I love get killed. I got into the academy with ease. After a few more years, we are here now," he finished and looked up at Aizen with blood shot eyes.

"This was a heavy burden you have been carrying all this time," Aizen said in a soothing voice. "I cannot imagine the emotional pain you have endured through these years. It took a lot of courage to open up about this, and I hope you don't feel the need to bottle this all up in yourself. You can always speak to me anytime." He stood up from his seat and placed a hand on Ichigo's head. "I must say that I admire you for going forward instead of dwelling on what could have been. I promise I shall help you to get stronger than you already are so you can protect all those around you. I am sure that your mother and Tatsuki are very proud of you. Already you have shown greater strength, and have protected your fellow shinigami on missions against hollows. It may not seem like much, but you are making a difference. If it hadn't been for you, Hinamori-san and so many others may not be here today, and it is all thanks to you," he told Ichigo who wiped his eyes. For the first time, he felt somewhat at ease with himself. For years, he had wanted to open up to someone, but didn't know if he could trust anyone. He didn't want pity, he wanted someone who would understand and Aizen had been the perfect person.

"Thank you," Ichigo whispered and Aizen smiled slightly before bringing his hand to his side.

"I would like to meet with you tomorrow and if you are up to it, we will be going through some more training, but for more, get some rest." He told Ichigo who nodded slightly.

"Yeah," Ichigo leaned back against his pillow as Aizen bowed slightly and walked towards the door. "Thanks again, Captain Aizen," he said, surprising the older man. He had never referred to him by his title and turned back to look at the orange haired shinigami.

"You are most welcome, Kurosaki-san. Have a good night," Aizen replied before leaving the room. The boy had no idea that he had just buried himself into a hole and given the soon-to-be-traitor even more to use against him.

* * *

A/N: I think I said this before, but I'll say it again, Ichigo is not going to turn into Momo and be all Aizen-obsessed, but he does have more respect for him. Also, Grand Fisher is a soul, not a hollow in here, just to be clear. Kinda changed that around, sorry it is was a bit confusing. Also, there is a Memories Best Forgotten Part 2, but it is not till later in this story and is told by someone else (who has yet to enter this story but plays an important role)

Next Chapter is pretty big one too, and it does answer one of the big questions of this story (well sorta). I will try to get it up as soon as I can (if I don't go insane first)

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed, and please review!


	17. Sidelines

Arg, it's almost been a month again since I've updated! I seriously hate the month of May, if they could wipe it off the calendar that would be the best thing ever! This story is still my top priority and will try to update it as often as I can! Sorry it has been taking so long!

Thanks sooooo much to everyone that reviewed the last chapter, I appreciate all the feedback and ideas you guys bring! Also big thanks to **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for betaing this chapter!

* * *

Aizen sat at his desk, not bothering to even touch the paper work. In his hands, he held a cup of tea as he looked outside at the Seireitei with a small smirk spread across his face. In his mind, he replayed the events that happened the night before.

All of the things Ichigo had told him were circulating in his mind and finding different strategies of how to turn the boy further against the Gotei 13. He obviously had some resentment of the shinigami after his mother's death. That was one thing he knew he could play off later.

As for Urahara, the fool wouldn't be a problem. Even if the ex-captain were to try and communicate with Ichigo, the boy didn't trust him. Still, there had to be some interest the captain had in the boy, however, he was finding his own interest in him. His strength was growing week after week. Controlling his Reiatsu was still a matter he had not been able to fix, but he now knew why it is uncontrollable. The boy's mind is still shattered after the trauma he suffered at a young age, but he would have thought it would have repaired itself by now. Of course, holding it all in and not letting go didn't help either.

The boy was also showing he was becoming more trusting of Aizen then even his friends or anyone else. Instead of pressuring the boy into revealing his secret, he was patient and waited until a moment of weakness, and was able to convince the boy of his genuine concern for his well-being.

Aizen turned and sat down at his desk, but turned his chair to look out the window, watching several useless shinigami practice. All their struggle will be for nothing. None of them have the same potential that that boy has. He would make an excellent ally to use against the Soul Society. Of course, he wouldn't dare inquire the boy about his plans just yet. There was still other matters that needed to be taken care of before that were to happen.

His friends

They are his greatest weakness. Even when Ichigo was telling him about his friend Tatsuki, he could see the heartache from failing his friend. Even now, he always tries to meet up with Kuchiki and Abarai every chance he gets (despite the longer training sessions he tried to enforce). They would be his biggest obstacle, but it was a minor challenge he would have no problem dispensing of. Abarai was too rash and could easily be provoked. As for the Kuchiki girl, he didn't know too much about her, nor did he find the need to. She was not even a ranked officer and would not cause too much of a problem. Both of their lives were not important, and it would break Ichigo even more and have him turn to the only person he can rely on: Aizen.

He slowly turned back to his desk and opened the bottom drawer to reveal the disk that was left for him. He had meant to view it, but hadn't had the time. Whether it was Tousen or Gin who had left it, he did not know, but it had to be important since both knew not to waste his time. He picked it up and held it in his hand. He debated whether to watch it now or wait a while longer so he would not be disturbed. His choice came easily when a knock at the door caused him to place the disk in his desk and turned towards the door.

"Yes?" He called and the door opened to reveal Ichigo. The older man smiled as the younger shut the door behind him and came towards his desk. "Ah, it is good to see you are out of the fourth division, Kurosaki-san," Aizen greeted and saw a hint of annoyance in the young man's face, the same that was always there when he said his name.

"Yeah, Captain Unohana said I was free to go this morning," Ichigo shrugged and seemed to be feeling a bit uncomfortable about the topic of the fourth division. This did not go unnoticed to the captain and he waved his hand out to the chairs in front of his desk.

"Please take a seat," he requested and watched the young man slump into the chair closes to the door. "Honestly, I was not expecting you until later, but this will give us more time to go over a few things I wanted to discuss with you," Aizen commented to the boy.

"I thought we were going to train, not talk," Ichigo muttered and leaned back.

"We will, I assure you, however, there is something I would like to go over with you before we start," Aizen stated. He watched the boy's face, waiting for any negative reactions that told him to approach differently, but Ichigo's face remained neutral.

"If this has to do with what I told you, I don't really want to go over it again," Ichigo sighed and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, after you shared your story about your past, I thought I would like to share a little about mine. As I told you last night, I was very fond of my captain and always had been. I worked hard at the academy so I could be in his squad and worked even harder until I finally had the honor of becoming his lieutenant. Shinji Hirako, he was my role model and once I was his second I followed him everywhere and tried to learn all I could about the man and how he did his job. My dream was to one day be as good of a captain as he was," Ichigo stared up at his captain as he smiled fondly at his desk.

"I still remember the day that Urahara Kisuke became captain." As soon as the name was mentioned, Ichigo's eyes narrowed slightly with a hint of anger. "He seemed inexperienced, but what captain isn't when he first starts? He seemed like such a nice man, of course, that doesn't mean you'll make a good captain. I remember hearing the only reason why he became a captain was because the second division captain, Shihouin Yoruichi, vouched for him and he was able to pass the captain's test," Aizen bowed his head.

"You know what happened years later, Urahara Kisuke betrayed the Soul Society along with the Kido captain and was placed under arrest," disappointment filled his voice as he shook his head. "And then, as I told you the night before, he said at the trial that I had experimented on my own captain along with the others. Just the thought alone makes me sick. Then, he was to be executed, but the second division captain, Yoruichi, broke them out along with his experiments. The Shihouin noble family disowned her after her betrayal and for bringing dishonor to their family," Aizen stated when Ichigo finally cut in.

"Didn't anyone ever catch them? They experimented on other shinigami!" Ichigo asked, finding it hard to believe that Central 46 hadn't sent others to execute them on sight.

"They are still alive, in a small town in the real world: Karakura Town. A seal was placed so Urahara nor Tessai could ever enter the Soul Society again. As for Yoruichi, she is to be arrested immediately if she enters," Aizen explained and could see the frustration in Ichigo's face.

"That is stupid, so they were going to kill them and then they decide not to?" Ichigo muttered angrily, mostly to hide his fear. He often wondered what Urahara had planned for him and had feared that the man would come back and try to finish what he hadn't begun. It was obvious the man was a liar and used his fake smile to charm people so they couldn't see his true face.

"It is what Central 46 decided, they make the laws and we have to follow them. Whether or not we agree. I myself have to admit that there are many errors in their ways. They are the reason why the Rukongai is the way it is. They only allow the shinigami to patrol the area, but they are not to get involved in the people's lives unless someone has a high Reiatsu reading. There are so many things that could be improved…" Aizen sighed.

"Those old farts need to go," Ichigo muttered quietly, but loud enough for his captain to hear. He knew the boy would take the bait, especially after hearing what had happened to him in the past. Of course, not everything he said was a lie, which made it even easier. Ichigo had already seen the corruption of the shinigami when he was younger, growing up on the streets. It would be easy for him to convince the boy of his plans, but now was not the time. It was too soon. He needed to gently weave the boy into his plans and he had finally gained some trust from him and didn't want to lose it this soon.

"Hopefully in time they will see a new way, perhaps they need someone to show them a different way of doing things. But for now, I think we've talked too much and it is time to get back to training, Kurosaki-san," Aizen suggested as he stood up from his seat.

"Fine, just one thing, can you stop with the 'Kurosaki-san'? It gets annoying," Ichigo grumbled from his seat, not bothering to stand just yet. Aizen chuckled lightly, more unruly brown hair falling in front of his eyes.

"If you insist, Ichigo," Aizen nodded and Ichigo finally stood up from his seat. "Now, let's proceed, there is a new Kido I wish for you to try that should help with your Reiatsu control."

**Karakura Town**

A group of eight shinigami stood in a circle surrounding lieutenant Shiba as he gave them orders. They had finally arrived to relieve the shinigami representative of Karakura Town of his duties for a week and were to patrol the area. Each shinigami was assigned a partner to work with during the mission, and they were all given pagers in case backup was needed. From the reports they received, there were rarely any hollow activity, but this town had the most compared to other parts.

"Alright, any other questions?" Kaien shouted to his group and scanned over the faces until his eyes rested on his wife and Rukia. Miyako had chosen Rukia for a partner in order to help further train her over the week (and do a little shopping). He knew the two would be alright along with everyone else, but he still had an uneasy feeling. It felt like they were being watched.

"Um, how does the pager work?" A random shinigami asked the lieutenant, only to be smacked by her partner seconds later. Kaien stared at the two dumbfounded for a moment.

"I know how to use it, I'll teach her," the partner laughed apologetically.

"Alright, enough standing around and get moving!" Kaien shouted to the group. Everyone nodded before they turned and shunpoed away.

Rukia and Miyako stopped on the roof of a building that over-looked the quiet streets. It seemed like there would be no Hollow activity tonight, but the less the better.

"So, are you dating one of your friends yet?" Miyako broke the silence which caused Rukia to blush and turn away. She had often talked to the older woman about different topics; her friends, family, and other stuff she couldn't talk to with her guy friends. This was a topic that had never come up, until now!

"Ugh, why would you think I am dating them?" Rukia asked, refusing to turn around, her face still flush.

"You've been friends with them for so long and you haven't dated anyone else, so I thought you were maybe holding out for one of them," Miyako answered and walked around the shorter shinigami and placed a hand on her shoulder. "There is no need to be embarrassed. I was friends with Kaien years before we started dating. Usually, it was the one that is sitting in front of you and since you have two I thought maybe one of them was the one for you," she said with a small smile.

"I…I never really thought of them in that way. I mean, Renji is like my brother. We've known each other since forever! Ichigo, he's a different matter. Besides, I know they don't think of me like that, I'm like their sister. It'd be too weird," Rukia stuttered, a blush still remained on her face. The thought alone… well she had honestly never thought about it.

"You'd be surprised. With someone that you just met, you have to learn all about them, whereas with your friends, you already know what to expect from them. When Kaien first asked me out, I was like you, I thought it would be weird dating my best friend. There is also the possibility that things don't work out, but there is a better chance of things turning out for the better. I knew all of his likes and dislikes, and he knew mine. We didn't go out of our way to impress each other like we had when we went on other dates. It felt comfortable and relaxing being with someone you know you can trust," Miyako told the younger shinigami.

Rukia stared up at the older woman. She believed that it would be easier to date someone she already knew, but she had Kaien. He was sweet, charming, funny, and the list went on. She had Renji and Ichigo…different story there. Renji was brave, strong, and more determined than anyone she knew. She knew everything about him and knew how to deal with him when he became hot-headed, which was often. As for Ichigo, she knew less about him. He still kept things from them despite being friends for how many years. It was the one thing that had bothered her, but she supposed he'd tell them whenever he was ready, if that ever came. Still, he had the same qualities as Renji, but to a further extent. He was strong, brave, very quick learner, and extremely hot-headed when provoked (mainly done by Renji). She loved them both, but she didn't think it was in that way, she doubted they saw her like that.

"Hm, isn't that the shop you visited last time?" Miyako pointed towards the shop with bunnies painted on the window. The small distraction took her mind off of her friends and turned to her to her real love: Chappy!

**Fifth Division**

Aizen stared at the video in front of him after finding time to finally watch what was on the disk. It was just after lunch and many of the shinigami in the division were having a relaxation time and going off to train or have some fun. It was during this time he was always able to find some time to get some much-needed work done without disturbances.

When he first watched the unmarked disk, he didn't know what to expect since there was no information that came along with it. He knew whatever was on it had to be important since Tousen and Gin knew better than to waste his time, and he was not disappointed.

A smirk spread across his handsome face as he leaned back and placed an elbow on the table next to him to rest his chin against his knuckles. This certainly made things much more interesting and he saw why the information about Masaki Kurosaki was brought back to his attention. It certainly explained a few things that he had never thought to examine before…

"Ya enjoy it?" Gin's voice said from behind him who had snuck into the room quietly and watched the ending of the video. His ever present grin spread across his face as his arms crossed over his chest and waited for his old captain's reaction, if he'd show one.

"It certainly was entertaining, how did you acquire this?" Aizen asked as he turned around to look at his former lieutenant.

"Ya know Captain Kurotsuchi can be bought off if ya offer him the right specimen's ta test on. Not ta mention, he won't go squealin' ta Captain Yamamoto with all the lovely experiments he has," Gin grinned and straightened up. It was true; they knew exactly how far they could push around certain people as long as it didn't set any ideas of betrayal into their minds. Of course, with all the blackmail they had on Kurotsuchi, it wouldn't be a problem, but they still needed to be wary how far they pushed the scientist.

"So I am guessin' ya interest in the boy has doubled?" Gin asked as Aizen stood up from his seat and adjusted his glasses.

"It certainly has. It explains why his mother left her duties as a shinigami to live in the Rukongai. It hadn't made sense, especially since so many shinigami start families, whether married or not. However, she has good reason to run. I am sure if Central 46 or the head captain found out, she would have been executed on sight," Aizen grinned.

**Karakura Town**

Kaien kept his eyes focused on the direction his wife had left before he turned quickly when a gust of wind swept by him. He narrowed his eyes before he took a step forward.

_If it was a hollow, it would have attacked by now. _He thought to himself before he shunpoed out of the area and arrived in the park. It was dark out and the only light that was available was from the flickering street lamp. He rested his hand on his zanpakutou and tried to sense any other signature that was not part of his team, but the result was negative.

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," he scratched the back of his head when he heard a twig snap to his left and turned quickly to find nothing there. He stared down at the broken twig, evidence that someone or something was following him. His immediate thoughts were of his group. Were they being followed by something as well and really in danger? If they were, it wouldn't make sense. Who in their right mind would attack a group of shinigami instead of the lone representative?

"Come out," he said in a bored voice and pulled his zanpakutou free of its sheath. He took a few more steps forward, scanning the area and listening to the wind move. He heard a whistling noise creep up behind him and turned to find nothing there. It was almost like whoever was stalking him was playing a game with him…

His eyes widened slightly before an annoyed expression filled his face. "I should have known better, but I guess even after all these years, you haven't changed," he sighed with a small smile and he sheathed his zanpakutou and crossed his arms over his chest.

Kaien began tapping his foot as he felt the wind blow by him again and closed his eyes. He was not going to play this game, again, with her. She always enjoyed tormenting him when she was captain. "But it is so fun," a female voice said in the dark and Kaien turned his head to see a female form coming closer. She walked forward until her appearance was finally shown.

"It's been a while, Yoruichi," Kaien smirked at the tanned woman in front of him. He had met her on many occasions; most of them were his sister's orders. Ever since Yoruichi had left the Soul Society with ex-captains, Urahara and Tessai, and with the shinigami that had been experimented on, she had kept in contact with Kūkaku. Hell butterflies were not used in case there was interference, especially since her last actions were considered traitorous.

"Everything going well? I don't see any stress lines so I am guessing you and Miyako don't have any children yet," Yoruichi grinned in satisfaction at Kaien's surprised face.

"Well, ya know I have been busy and don't really have time for kids right now," Kaien chuckled friendly at the woman he had known for so many years. He still remembered the day that Central 46 had issued her traitor for helping Urahara and Tessai escape their execution. It was so hard to believe that she was an enemy, but he and his family never accepted it. Kūkaku went into a fit and said she knew the Shihouin heir better than the rest of the Soul Society, and he knew he could trust his sister's judgment.

"Oh, but what does Miyako say about it?" Yoruichi asked slyly and watched as Kaien rolled his eyes. If it was anyone else, they would have snapped at her, but she adored Kaien's good sense of humor. He wasn't stuffy or hold his position high like some of the lieutenants did after receiving it. Instead, he was more laid back and at the same time, making sure his duties and those under him were following orders.

"I'm sure you know why I came, right?" Yoruichi asked as she folded her arms across her chest and sounded much more serious than earlier.

"You want to know how Ichigo is, right?" Kaien asked with a raised eyebrow and she nodded. "That kid is impressive. Like I told you before, Captain Ukitake was so disappointed that he couldn't get him into his squad, pretty much like all of the captains. I have not seen him fight, but the rumors I heard, they say it looks like he is holding back when he fights and isn't showing what he can really do. Though recently, he was admitted to the fourth division," he revealed and saw Yoruichi open her mouth.

"Don't worry, he's fine. I guess he had passed out from exhaustion, or at least that's what Rukia had said, but he's fine now," Kaien shrugged and Yoruichi seemed to relax a bit more.

"How is he otherwise? Is he still going out with his friends often?" Yoruichi asked, though hating the fact she couldn't tell Kaien the whole truth. She wanted to tell him what Captain Aizen was really like and why she was so concerned for the young shinigami stuck in his squad, blinded by what lies he could be filling in his head. However, she knew it might cause some tension and she didn't want Kaien to do anything that could place him or his family in harm's way.

"He was for a while, but I heard Rukia complaining a few times that he is either late or has been skipping some of their meetings on the weekend. He still meets, but not as often as he did before, I guess," Kaien said and Yoruichi shook her head. She knew how far Ichigo had come along in the ranks and knew for a fact that Aizen had to have taken an interest in him. Urahara had been planning many different ways to try to get to the boy, but none have been successful so far. He even went as far as to place a chip in one of the shinigami that was patrolling the area before he went back to the Soul Society so he could spy; however, the shinigami was disposed of two nights later by Ichimaru Gin. At the moment, she knew Urahara was going over different ideas, but until then, Kaien was the only way they could get information.

"That is such a shame, I wish he would interact with his friends a bit more." Yoruichi sighed. She had been hoping he'd spend more time with Rukia or Renji and be away from the fifth division as much as possible, but it seemed to be reversed.

"Hm, well…" Kaien paused, rubbing his chin in thought. "I have a mission coming up in a few weeks and I can take whoever I want to, perhaps I could take them along so they can spend more time together." He suggested and saw the Goddess of Flash grin before she grabbed him around the neck and hugged him.

"That'd be great, you make sure they have a good time! And you better make sure nothing-" Yoruichi began saying before Kaien pulled away and cut her off, already knowing what she was going to say.

"I know, I know, and don't worry, nothing's going to happen to your cousin. I'll protect him and the rest of them if something should come up." Kaien held a hand out to her, which she accepted. "Speaking of which, I have some other duties to take care of. I'll see you again in a few months," Kaien responded and looked at the sky, seeing that the moon getting closer to setting.

"Take care," Yoruichi called as she watched one of her best friend's brother run off. The grin that was still on her face slowly faded into a frown as she looked up into the starry sky. Another small sigh passed through her lips before she closed her eyes.

"This is all your fault," Yoruichi shook her head sadly. How many times she had debated about sneaking into the Soul Society in her cat form to reach Ichigo and drag him to Karakura Town. Unfortunately, he had already made a name for himself and others would notice if he disappeared. She also doubted that Aizen would take his eyes off the boy long enough and would interfere before they got away. He already made sure Urahara's plans failed in trying to communicate with Ichigo. None of this turned out like it was supposed to. Urahara, Tessai, herself, and all of the vizards should still have been in the Soul Society. Instead, they were on the outside looking in while Aizen continued to plot the Soul Society's downfall. And to make matters worse, Ichigo was involved and didn't even know the truth of what was going on.

She shook her head as she turned back and flash stepped onto a roof. She knew what happened to Masaki, it was the reason why Urahara had sought Ichigo out, but it may have made matters worse than before. If only she had gotten to him and introduced herself, and taken him along with the vizards none of this would have happened. She had berated herself for not going to Ichigo first, but knew the vizards were in more danger than him. Of course, there was one person she blamed for what was going on with Ichigo right now. Not Urahara, who was working constantly to find a way to get the boy out. Not Aizen, who was going along with his plans and most likely turning Ichigo against them. No, the person she blamed could have prevented all of this:

"Isshin"

* * *

A/N: Been reading the manga, and still not adding anything to the story from there. I pretty much consider the rest of this story in AU since there is probably one small canon scene. Also, yes, I made Yoruichi Ichigo's older cousin. I had wanted to make him noble heritage (that no one knew about) and didn't want to chose the Shiba's since they seem like a close net family and they would definitely interfere. I know, Ichigo looks like Kaien (except with the eyelashes), but noble families marry into each other so they are probably distant cousins. If it doesn't make sense, please tell me!

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed, please review, and I WILL TRY TO GET THE NEXT CHAPTER UP AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!


	18. In the End Does it Matter?

Thank you for being so patient with me, this has been the summer from hell for me and I've barely have time to write anything. I do have some good news, it is in the authors note at the bottom.

THANK YOU so much to everyone who reviewed the last chapter, favorite, and put this story on story alert :)

Also a special thanks to **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky **for beting this chapter so fast!

Rukia smiled as Renji joined her at their usual table. He was yawning and scratching his head allowing a few red locks to fall out of his sloppy ponytail. "Why do we have to meet so damn early? Didn't you just get back last night?" Renji muttered as he plopped down in the chair next to her. Luckily, she had gone ahead and ordered some hot tea for them, and hopefully, it would wake him up before he complained further.

"This is the only time we can meet this week," Rukia sighed before she glanced towards the door. She had sent a message to Ichigo telling him that they were going to meet bright and early, but he still hadn't shown up. This didn't concern her much, knowing he always showed up late, which continued to irritate Renji to no end. _I swear if he overslept, I am going to kick his ass._ She thought to herself, not paying attention to Renji until he snapped his fingers in front of her.

"Hey, if you're going back to sleep on me, I'll leave," he grumbled, only for her to roll her eyes.

"Sorry, I was just thinking," she muttered and took one last glance at the door.

"How was your mission? See any hollows?" Renji asked before he took a sip of tea.

"No, it was pretty quiet. It was nice to go to the real world and see the new things they are coming up with," a small smile played on her face and Renji arched an eyebrow before narrowing his eyes and raising a hand.

"If you dare talk about that stupid rabbit this early in the morning, I am leaving and sending my lieutenant to rip them all up," Renji threatened. Rukia closed her mouth and shot daggers at him with her eyes. "So, nothing happened on the mission," he changed the subject quickly before she could become agitated and kick him under the table. "I thought something major happened and that was why you called us…well me here this early," Renji corrected himself. He glanced at the door with annoyance at the fact Ichigo still wasn't there.

Renji turned his attention back to Rukia and noticed she had her head bowed and was staring at the floor. Her hands were clasped in her lap and it was like she was afraid to look at him. "We had to meet this early because Nii-sama is having the other noble families at our house this week and I am supposed to be there," she whispered sorrowfully. She loved her brother, if it hadn't been for him, she wouldn't have a family, but at the same time, she knew he didn't care about her. The night before was the perfect example of his coldness towards her.

_Her heart beat fast as she walked down the hall towards her brother's room. She was told by one of the maids that he requested that she report in as soon as she returned. One of the maids had offered to cook her something to eat before she met with him, but she declined. Her brother rarely ever wanted to speak or see her and knowing he was waiting for her caused knots in her stomach. _

_She stopped at the door and felt a cold sweat run over her. She had faced against hollows and other shinigami in competition, but even that did not scare her as much as the thought of what her brother might say to her. The constant worry over if she had done something wrong on her mission and it had gotten back to him raced through her mind. Would he kick her out of the house? Would he yell? Had she disgraced the family? So many thoughts ran through her mind and before she knew it, she knelt down on her knees and knocked on the door, not wanting to waste another second of the anticipation. _

"_Yes?" Her brother's cold voice said from behind the door and she slid it open to find him sitting in front of his desk with candles burning on either side of him. He did not turn around to see who it was, nor did he seem to care. _

"_I have returned, Nii-sama," Rukia whispered and bowed her head while her hands folded in her lap. _

"_Was your mission successful?" His voice showed no emotion. No sign of happiness that she was all right. No worry that she could have been injured. No joy for her return. _

"_We didn't run into any hollows during the mission and-" Rukia began to explain only for Byakuya to cut her off before she could finish her sentence. _

"_That is not what I asked, was it successful?" Byakuya asked again, his voice sounding sterner than before. Rukia lifted her eyes at him slightly and a hint of sadness filled them. _

"_It was," she replied looking down at her hands once more. _

"_You may leave," he ordered and she stood up to shut the door, only to see that he hadn't even bothered stopping with his work. Nothing mattered to him, not her safety or anything else about her, as long as she did not disgrace the Kuchiki name and come back a failure. With sorrowful eyes, she placed her hand on the door and slid it shut. _

"Rukia? You alright?" Renji tried to snap her out of her daze once more, but she was lost in memory of the night before. She tried to keep her family matters to herself with the exception of a few times she had to vent to her friends. Renji and Ichigo both knew the pressure she was under since she had been adopted by the Kuchiki's. In fact, if it wasn't for their visits she didn't know what she would do. Sure, she had made some friends in her division, but they were not the same.

"Rukia?" Renji's voice went ignored once more, and unfortunately, for the last time. Her thoughts were soon washed away when Renji poured a glass of cold water over her head and scooted back in his chair when she stood up yelling, grabbing a hold of her cup of hot tea.

"AHH! What the hell!" Rukia glared at her long time friend who was now wishing he had grabbed the tea. Rukia armed with boiling hot water would not result well for him.

"You weren't answering me and it looked like you were falling asleep again," Renji shot at her and prayed she was not going to throw her cup at him. He relaxed slightly when the anger faded slightly from her face, but he could tell she was still pissed off and didn't dare scoot up next to her anytime soon.

"Sorry," she sat down once more. Renji stared at her, feeling guilty over pouring water on her, almost. He hated it when she got this way and it was only when she went to visit her brother did she get like this. Of course, if Ichigo were here he would have done the same thing. "How are things in your division?" She asked, trying to change the subject.

_Idiot, why are you acting so humble, this is not you. And where the hell is Ichigo_? Renji thought to himself bitterly before answering. "The usual, except next week we are going on a hunt, whoever can kill the most hollows wins. According to Ikkaku, the best thing to do is stay behind the captain or he'll cut you in half. It should be fun," he grinned.

"Sounds like fun," Rukia smiled softly and folded her arms over her chest.

"Hey, will you knock it off! What have we told you about this self-pity crap? Your brother is stiff, everyone knows it. According to my captain the last time he got-" Renji began to say before Rukia stopped him. Everyone knew that Captain Kenpachi had no problem speaking his mind. Everyone also knew that the captain of the eleventh division did not like the sixth and vice verse.

"I get your point, you don't have to go any further," Rukia said quickly. She smiled at him and placed her hands on the table. He smiled back at her, and scooted in closer and was a bit surprised when she placed her hand in his. A blush crept on his face when their fingers entwined. He had never thought of Rukia as anything other than a sister and she had never gotten this close to looking at him like that before.

"Thanks Renji," she whispered before she leaned close to him. His face got redder than before and his eyes were glued to hers that he did not see her other hand reaching for the abandoned cup of tea until she dumped it over his arm.

"AHH!" Renji shouted and stood up, clutching his arm and glaring at her smug face. The little witch had played with him!

Fifth Division

Ichigo lay in his bed with his arm draped over his forehead. His blankets were partially falling on the floor from the night of restless sleep. He rolled himself onto his right side and his hands lacked onto the pillow underneath his head while his eyes seemed to be moving underneath his eyelids. The nightmares he had before were all of his past, but this was not one of them. Instead of remembering flashes of his mother or Tatsuki, what he saw was pure hell.

_Ichigo was walking along the streets of the Rukongai. On either side of him, houses were on fire and dead bodies lay on the street. "What happened?" He whispered to himself as he bent down next to a woman who was still breathing. Blood covered her face and a long bloody slash ran across her chest. It was a surprise she was alive at all. _

"_You," she whispered and coughed up blood, her eyes filled with fear. He placed his hand out to touch her, but she jerked away from him. _

_You want to help others. Why? _

_A voice rang out through the world and he looked around. It seemed like the voice came from all around him. "Because they need help," Ichigo replied and looked down at the woman._

_Really? Don't you recognize her? She owned a shop around where you grew up. She shunned your mother from buying anything from her and spread rumors of her being a whore. Do you still want to protect her now? _

_Ichigo's eyes widened slightly as he looked down at the woman, now finally remembering who she was. He remembered the day that his mother took him to this woman's shop. She made comments about how his mother had dressed and asked if she had any other bastard children. He felt his hand clench into a small fist before he heard a chuckle from the voice._

_I thought so. Protecting people means protecting even those you don't care about. You said you wanted to help those that lived around your home because the shinigami did nothing to help them, but will you choose who you want to help? If that's the case, you are no better than they are._

_Ichigo watched as the woman disappeared from view and he was left alone in the bloody dirty streets. He did feel some anger towards that woman and there were several others that made his childhood a living hell. However, there were several others that he and Tatsuki had met that weren't so bad. They needed help too and it wasn't fair to judge everyone just because of certain actions others took against him. _

_You can believe all you want, but in the end, you know you would turn your backs on them like they did to you._

"_How the hell would you know!" Ichigo snapped at the voice and looked around angrily. He already knew what he was planning on doing, he and Tatsuki had made a promise of what they were going to do and he planned on carrying out her dream. _

_Oh really? And if you had to save Grand Fisher?_

_Ichigo froze when he heard the voice taunt the name of the man he had wanted to kill for so long. The man that had taken everything from him._

_That's what I thought. Perhaps I should show ya what your future holds. _

_The world around Ichigo began to spin and he found himself in the fifth division, however, it was on fire and bodies laid outside the doorways. He felt his stomach clench when he recognized many of the shinigami that were dead. Some he had gone to the academy with or had passed in the halls every day. _

_Ichigo walked through the damp grass until he broke out into a run for the gate to leave his division. He spotted it ahead with a body blocking the door. At first, he couldn't recognize the face and thought it was another person he had only passed in the halls until he stopped in his tracks once he got close enough to see who it was. _

"_Momo," his voice trembled as he looked down at her lifeless form. Blood ran from between her lips and trickled down her chin. A large puncture wound was visible through her stomach and her blood mingled with the black of her uniform. Her eyes were still open and stared blankly at the grass. _

_Screams were heard behind him as he turned to look at the main building of the fifth division and watched as the normal light blue sky turned red and flashes of lightening struck the air. He saw movement through the window and slowly turned away from the corpse of his friend and proceeded towards the building. _

_A feeling of sickness washed through him as he made one last glance at Momo, feeling horrible that the girl had died after saving her years ago in the forest from a hollow. She had so much potential and was even higher up in the division than he himself was. _

_Another scream tore his gaze away from Momo and he looked back at the building. He knew he should run inside and help whoever was in trouble, but for some reason he felt paralyzed. His arms wouldn't move and his feet seemed planted to the ground. He felt as helpless as he had been when his mother and Tatsuki had died. He closed his eyes and shook his head as a woman screamed. _

_No, he wasn't a young kid anymore. He was a shinigami! He had trained so hard to get stronger to help his friends and those around him! He was not going to let the past repeat itself! He opened his eyes and slowly moved his foot forward. He reached behind him and felt the hilt of Zangetsu in his hand and unraveled it as he began moving closer. His feet made a clanking noise as he traveled up each step, but as soon as he made it half way, the door opened and once again the sickness returned._

"_Renji!" Ichigo's eyes widened and he dropped his Zanpakutou and ran to his battered friend. Cuts littered the redheads face and his right arm was being held close to his chest, obviously broken from how swollen it was becoming in the wrist. Majority of his uniform was torn and more evidence of his injuries were present. "Renji, what happened?" Ichigo demanded as he placed a hand on Renji's shoulder, eyes filled with concern. _

_What happens when you are too late? What happens when all that training you have done over the years was for nothing and those you love are still injured or killed? What then?_

_The voice echoed through the world, but he ignored it. His concern was mainly on his friend until Renji looked up at him with hatred. _

"_Get the fuck away from me," Renji growled as he swung with his good arm at the young man he had considered to be one of his best friends. Ichigo took a step back, not understanding Renji's resentment. What had happened?_

"_Renji?" Ichigo whispered, but did not approach the redhead who looked as if he was ready to kill Ichigo where he stood. _

"_This is all your fault! This is your fucking fault!" Renji screamed as Zabimaru appeared in his hand and he ran at Ichigo with sword drawn with the intent to kill. _

_Ichigo stood motionless, he had never seen his friend so angry before and had no idea what had brought it on. He knew he was weaponless and could easily retrieve Zangetsu before Renji struck, but the mere thought of killing his friend brought horror to him. _

_Renji never made it to Ichigo. He took three steps before his blood flew in the air and more cuts spread across his body and he finally went down. Ichigo stared in shock before he knelt down next to Renji, not caring that his friend had intended to kill him just seconds before. _

"_Renji?" he placed his hand on his friends arm and felt it was already cold and his eyes were as lifeless as Momo's. He felt a pinch of anger override the sadness. What had caused this to happen? What could possibly turn his friends against him and leave everyone in the Seireitei dead?_

_He slowly got to his feet and made his way towards the door and pressed on it. _

_All that work to train to be the best. To be unstoppable that no one would want to mess with you. Is it worth it in the end?_

_Ichigo pressed the door open and found several bodies of the captains, lieutenants, and several other shinigami that he recognized. Izuru, Rangiku, the captains from the different divisions…Captain Aizen. He stared at the man who had tried to help him grow stronger, but only to be slain by an unknown enemy at the end. However, the one that stood out more than the others was a girl with black hair lying on the ground in the corner. _

"_Rukia," he choked and fell to his knees. He closed his eyes and shook his head, wishing to wake up. This couldn't be happening, not after all he had been through. It was bad enough he had lost his mother and best friend, but now to lose the others!_

_He opened his eyes and gazed down at her open dazed ones as blood trickled out of her mouth and down the side of her face to pool on the wooden floor beneath her. Small cuts were across her arms, but none were as serious as the gaping hole that was through her stomach. _

_A loud thud distracted him from his friend's gruesome corpse. He turned to his left and saw another door that was the source of the ruckus. He bowed his head to Rukia before standing once more and slowly walked towards the door. _

_He felt his hand quiver with each step he took and finally placed it over Zangetsu's hilt. Whoever had killed his friends was going to pay. He was not going to stand by and allow another murderer to get away again! He finally reached the door and didn't even have to push it open as it opened for him. He drew Zangetsu and unraveled it. However, he took two steps inside the room when he came face to face with the one responsible for all the destruction. _

Ichigo bolted up right in his bed, sweat pouring down his face. He breathed heavily as he blinked a few times to realize he was no longer dreaming and was finally awake. He raised a shaking hand to his forehead and leaned back against the pillows behind him.

_It was just a dream._ He reminded himself, but couldn't shake off the feeling of what he just witnessed. Everything seemed so real. Everyone he had cared for was dead right in front of him, and like the voice had said, he had tried to become stronger just to fail in the end.

"No," he whispered to himself for reassurance more than anything. He was not going to allow anything like that to happen. He sat up once more, shaking his head. It was just a dream. A stupid nightmare that would never come true. At least with the others he had, they were of his past. Besides, the future wasn't written yet and he knew he could avoid this from coming true…

_Old man? Zangetsu? _Ichigo asked in his head as he got up to get dressed. He still didn't feel sure of himself, despite what he tried to think. It was better to ask the one person who knew Ichigo as much as himself.

_Yes, Ichigo__?_ Zangetsu's deep voice echoed through his head, making him feel calmer than he had been minutes ago.

_That dream I had…it can't come true, right? It was nothing._ Ichigo asked, sounding unsure of himself. He finished dressing and wandered into the empty hallway.

He waited for a response, but Zangetsu remained quiet for a few minutes and Ichigo was beginning to wonder if he was purposely ignoring him or was still in thought. _Zangetsu?_

_A dream can be what a person desires, a memory, or whatever has been on his or her mind. I believe the dream was part of your fear of failure along with the uncertainty of the training you have been going through over the past years. You are afraid that all this training will have been for nothing and you will still lose everything. _Zangetsu replied and Ichigo stopped in his tracks before he reached the outside. He couldn't remember ever questioning his training. He had always felt that it was the key to getting stronger so he could protect those he loved.

However, the fear of failure haunted him constantly. After exploring his past with Captain Aizen, it reminded him of those he let down and how he swore he would not allow that to happen again. Then again, he knew there was a chance he could arrive too late. He was separated from his friends and they went on several missions, but there was still the fear that they might not return.

"Ichigo?" A female voice asked from the side and he turned to see Momo staring at him curiously. "Are you feeling alright?" She asked worriedly and he stood up straight, brushing off what he was thinking for the time being.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just going to breakfast and trying to remember if I had any tasks to do today," he gave a fake laugh and ran a hand through his unruly hair.

"Ugh, Ichigo, it's past lunch time and it's the weekend, we don't have any tasks to do. Aren't you supposed to meet with Rukia and Renji?" Momo asked him tilting her head to the side before taking a step back when his eyes widened and he took off out the door.

"SHIT!"

Captain's Meeting

All of the captains were aligned in two straight rows with the head captain sitting at the very front. It was their usual update meeting of what was going on in the Seireitei and what needed improvement. It was also a time for some captains to make suggestions of who in their division would be better suited in another division. It was at those times that really annoyed Aizen. He chose who he wanted in his division, without making it look obvious, and had no need for the other trash. Of course, he didn't pick the strongest because that would make him look no better than Kenpachi. He always picked random shinigami whether by his interest or who would make interesting test subjects that had no family.

"How is the situation in the Rukongai going?" Captain Yamamoto asked the seventh captain, Komamura who had been placed in temporary charge of finding out the situation of the disappearing people.

"We have searched everywhere, but there is still no sign. My team reported that no one went missing when they were there, but as soon as they returned the reports came up again that a family of four disappeared," Captain Komamura revealed.

"Perhaps we should keep a team in the area at all times," Captain Unohana suggested, but it didn't process through anyone's head as the head captain shook his head.

"Central 46 has stated that we are only to investigate and protect the areas if there is a threat, we cannot keep a team there longer than seven days unless this threat is identified," the head captain stated and it went quiet for a few seconds before Captain Komamura spoke up again.

"It is in several different areas that this has been happening, not just that area. We do not believe that it is a hollow because otherwise it would have shown itself and people would have seen it devouring people. Not to mention, it is rare for a hollow to be able to organize and plan when it is going to strike," he said.

"If it is not a hollow, then who else could it be?" Captain Kurotsuchi sneered and folded his arms over his chest. "Unless you are suggesting that there is a shinigami behind these disappearance, which I highly doubt, then it is impossible," he continued.

"None of us know who is behind these disappearances, even though they have been going on for quite some time. I have looked in the archives under all previous captains and higher-level shinigami who could be suspects, but they were either dead or banned from the Soul Society. However, there have been reports documented on hollows that are able to disguise themselves as people without anyone knowing. In fact, a few years ago several shinigami were attacked and killed by hollows that were able to do this. They are able to hide themselves within the host without them knowing before they were devoured from the inside out," Captain Ukitake revealed, but only a few knew what he spoke of since it had been long before many of their time.

"Then we should simply take some of the people around that area and I can test to see if they are lying or not," Captain Kurotsuchi grinned.

"We cannot take innocent people and test on them, that is barbaric," Captain Aizen spoke up for the first time. He had a disturbed look on his face that showed to everyone in the room that he was concerned, with the exception of Gin. He knew his ex-captain was a wonderful actor. He, on the other hand, preferred to let the others hate and suspect him. It made so much fun getting under people's skin.

"That is enough for now. This matter is still open, but until we have further information we cannot pass judgment," Captain Yamamoto broke up the conversation amongst the captains, silencing the room. He turned his attention to his former student, Captain Ukitake, whose head was bowed slightly. "Now then, is Lieutenant Shiba here to give us his report?" The elderly man asked the long white-haired captain who turned his head and smiled softly at hearing his lieutenant's name.

"Yes, he has written it up as well and two copies were submitted," Ukitake replied as Captain Yamamoto opened his right eye and nodded towards Captain Unohana who went to open the door to find lieutenant Shiba waiting for permission to enter. He bowed his head towards Captain Unohana and smiled as he entered the meeting hall. No one looked at him and stayed stationed at their post as he stood before them and immediately went into his findings.

"All of my team returned safely. We didn't run into any problems, only a few hollows here and there. All of the hollows were like the ones we are used to dealing with, chasing after souls that hadn't been konso'd yet. The shinigami representative of the town has returned and is now watching the town again," Kaien stated, ignoring the snort coming from Captain Kenpachi. He knew the taller man was thinking it was a boring assignment, and it was, and that was why the eleventh division didn't deal with babysitting jobs.

"Very well, there is one last thing before you go. I believe Captain Ukitake informed you of the mission that you will go on next month," Captain Yamamoto stated more than asking. Knowing his student, the white-haired captain had informed his lieutenant as soon as he was told about the assignment.

"Yes, about the mission to stay in the forest in the southern Rukongai," Kaien answered and Captain Yamamoto continued talking as if nothing was said at all.

"Central 46 has issued that you and a small team search the area for any clues for three days. They are expecting a detailed report as soon as you come back," Captain Yamamoto told the young man who didn't seem affected at all by the information. He was used to going on missions such as these and all had been either complete success or they were unable to find anything.

"I have a request about this mission coming up, sir, if the other captains don't mind," Kaien asked and a few heads turned his way while the others remained perfectly in place. "I would like to take a few other shinigami from the other divisions with me to have their expertise on the mission," Kaien requested and Captain Yamamoto opened his right eye and looked at the young man as if thinking it over.

"Who are you requesting?" Captain Tousen asked his face tilted towards the dark haired lieutenant.

"Renji Abarai from the eleventh," Kaien began before he heard a snort followed by a laugh.

"If ya want I can send my whole division into the forest and we can wipe out those hollows. Why should Abarai have all the fun?" Captain Kenpachi barked and received a few eyes rolling for the comment. It would be a simple solution if they knew where the hollows were located, but unfortunately, they had a tendency to disappear before a large group of shinigami could arrive.

"and Ichigo Kurosaki from the fifth division," Kaien added, not noticing the sideways glance Captain Ichimaru was giving him was his usual grin plastered across his face. Captain Aizen resumed his usual calm expression though his eyes narrowed the slightest that no one noticed.

"If their captains agree to it, they may join you," Captain Yamamoto answered Kaien. He had already received his answer from Kenpachi with allowing Renji to go. Heck, the bell-wearing captain wanted to join them if it meant there would be any action, however, knowing the missions the thirteenth division received it would most likely be a boring one with a rare chance of a hollow appearing.

"As long as you bring him back safely, then he may go," Captain Aizen replied in a soft tone. He watched as Kaien smiled and said a few more words before bowing and leaving the room.

A few more words were spoken during the meeting, mostly making sure everyone's paper work was turned in on time, what improvements needed to be made to the divisions, and any other concerns the other captains may have had. It couldn't end soon enough and soon they were all leaving.

Aizen walked down the path he normally took to go back to his division, knowing he was being followed by Gin until the silver-haired man made an appearance by his side. It was at this point that he used his Shikai to hide the two of them, knowing anyone could overhear their conversation otherwise.

"So ya gonna let the boy out of your sights? That doesn't sound like ya," Gin asked as he leaned against the wall.

"There is a chance they could grow suspicious if I didn't allow him to go," Aizen muttered, his voice sounding darker than before.

"I don't see the big deal. From the rumors that I heard floatin' around my division, Ichigo-kun isn't as big as he used ta be. Before all the gossip was over him and how strong he would become, now I heard that he had problems with fighting against Renji-kun," Gin commented and watched as his mentor grinned at the comment.

"Then he is doing exactly what I asked him to do," Aizen glanced at Gin and straightened his shoulders slightly. "He cares so much for those around him, the more friends he has the harder it would be to break him from them. I have been training him, but have also been keeping him to secrecy about it. Of course, over the past week he had been feeling ill, but even with one hand he wouldn't have problems defeating Abarai," Aizen stated and noticed the confusion on Gin's face.

"The boy is very strong and has learned things quite fast. Unfortunately, his stubbornness still gets in his way quite often and he feels cocky. It is why I've been making sure he downplays his strength, otherwise, he may get idiots like Kenpachi to challenge him or request him to join his division. The less responsibility the boy has the better it will be for him later on. I will do everything in my power to make sure he doesn't leave my division to become a lieutenant or captain somewhere else," Aizen stated and Gin felt a small shudder run down his spine. He knew how manipulative his friend could be. Things could be turned against him and he could still find some way for his enemy to be running scared. He wondered what else Aizen had on this boy that he already didn't know about.

"What about his friends? He'll be spendin' quite a bit of time with them on the trip, could make him wish that he spent more time with them," Gin asked, his grin returning to his lips.

Aizen shook his head, his messy brown hair waving in front of his eyes as he took a step forward and placed a hand on Gin's shoulder. "Not as much as you think, I have been keeping him quite busy," a smile spread across the fifth division captain as he dropped his hand and began walking past Gin. "When the boy entered my division, his fate was sealed." The third division captain turned and watched after the retreating captain as the illusion broke.

A/N: I have some good news and bad news about this fic, Good news I'll be returning to updating every week. Bad News: it won't be until August 21/22. I am currently in the works of revamping this story from my original plot. I also went back and went through all the wonderful reviews you all have left me for any questions or concerns about the story and wrote them all down and added them to the story so it will become clear or to fix certain things. Also I'll be shifting things a little so we can see more of Urahara and what he is doing behind the scenes. Thank you for being so patient with me :)

Oh and don't worry, I will NOT TURN ICHIGO INTO MOMO CRYING FOR LORD AIZEN! *shudders*

Thank you so much for reading , I hoped you enjoyed the chapter, and please review on your way out.


	19. Day 1

Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed. It was interesting seeing some ppl's theories (some were kinda close to what I have planned). Also a BIG thanks to the wonderful **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for betaing this chapter!

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Momo bit her lip as she walked down the hallway towards Captain Aizen's office. She adored the man and thought there was no better captain in the Gotei 13 than him. He was kind and patient and there was nothing else in the world she wanted than to make sure she was doing her duties to the best of her abilities.

She didn't pay attention to the lieutenant walking past her in a hurry as she stopped at Captain Aizen's door. She kept going over and over what she wanted to ask him, not wanting to waste him time or blubber like an idiot. Of course, she never would have been here if it wasn't for this morning.

She had seen Captain Aizen and Ichigo before the younger shinigami went off on his mission. She had seen the gleam and pride in the captain's eyes as he watched his officer leave. But from what she saw, there was more to it. Captain Aizen looked down at all of his officers adoringly, her included. With Ichigo, it seemed brighter than normal. He seemed generally proud of Ichigo, something he hadn't shown in anyone else. It was like how a father looks adoringly at his son as he leaves for a while.

Momo shook her head; it was stupid. She was feeling jealous of Ichigo, her friend. She finally got up the nerve and knocked on her captain's door and waited until she was given permission to enter.

Aizen raised a curious eyebrow when Momo stepped inside. He had not been expecting the girl, but then again, he knew the girl had a secret crush on him. She would bend over backwards if he asked, and it was because of this that he kept her in his division and alive.

"Can I help you, Hinamori-san?" Aizen asked her with a warm smile as he placed his hands bent on the desk before him.

"Captain Aizen I… I… was wondering if… am I doing a good job here?" She stuttered in the beginning and quickly bowed her head and began chastising herself. She swore she was not going to ramble and here she did it. _Stupid!_

"Of course you are, Hinamori-san. I have to admit, your kido is very impressive as well as your work performance," Aizen told the young girl who looked up quickly and seemed to have caught her breath. He was impressed? More importantly, he was impressed with her?

"Thank you," she mumbled, feeling rather embarrassed. She should have known better. If Captain Aizen thought very little of her, he could always request for her to be sent to a different division. He had done it with a few in the past, mostly because he felt that they would fit better elsewhere.

"There is no need to thank me, Hinamori-san. You deserve the praise for everything you have done. I do notice things, even if I don't say them. I believe out of everyone in this division, you have shown the most compassion towards your fellow officers. I've heard about how you took the time to show others how to perfect their kido and helped them with their choirs. I've heard nothing but good things about you from the entire division," Aizen smiled at her, watching as she bought into his lie. Some of the things he said were the truth, mainly about how she helped around the division and train the weaklings. Personally, he could care less about things useless deeds.

"I…I promise I will continue to do the best that I can, Captain Aizen, thank you," he could tell she was shaking as she said the words. Her voice even quivered as if she was going to break down into tears. Such a pathetic sight. He ignored the rest of her rambling and waited until she finally decided to leave, but not before apologizing for interrupting his work. He was truly looking forward to the day he and the others betrayed Soul Society. Too many idiots running around.

**5 Hours Later**

Ichigo glanced over at Rukia who was walking behind her lieutenant and his wife. Neither Renji nor Rukia had said a word to him since he arrived. Renji more so than Rukia. The redhead walked in the back with the fourth division member, Hanatarou, who was chatting away.

"Ah, here we are!" Kaien Shiba opened his arms wide and dropped the supplies he had been carrying. They were stationed in a forest outside the 79th western Rukongai district. He glanced back at the members of his small group consisting of Miyako, Rukia, Ichigo, Renji, Hanatarou, and two other members from the thirteenth division. He was given orders that the mission was to remain small since a larger group would probably attract too much attention.

"Okay, now you and you," he pointed to Ichigo and Rukia, "will start gathering some food for us…" He began to say when the eleventh division member spoke up.

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN BRING FOOD WITH US!" Renji shouted, shocked that one of the most essential things was forgotten. They had to hunt for food? Truthfully, it was something he was used to. The eleventh division members often went on hunts and gathered their own food since Captain Kenpachi said he did not allow pussies in his division and real men killed their own food. He had been so looking forward to having a meal that he didn't have to worry about cooking until it stopped bleeding and picking the bones and fat off. _So much for that_.

"Yes, Abarai, we did not pack any food. You should be more worried about pitching the tent. You two," he pointed at the other two thirteen division members. "Go collect firewood and water," he ordered, ignoring the grumbling that was coming from the redhead. He would have thought after years of being in the eleventh division, he would follow orders without question. Kenpachi must have been getting soft.

"Yes sir, lieutenant Shiba!" The two thirteen division members saluted their lieutenant before running off.

"Come on, I don't want to hunt during the night," Rukia poked Ichigo in the shoulder. He glanced down at her and swatted her hand away before the two of them walked off.

"Are you sure it is okay for them to go off on their own?" Miyako asked Kaien as the lieutenant made himself comfortable on a rock.

"According to the reports, the hollows that possess people come out when the sun begins to set and attacks people around this area, during that time, we'll be busy patrolling," he informed his wife.

Rukia walked through the woods, looking up into the trees, only to find regular leaves and not a hint of any fruit or anything edible in sight. She glanced over at Ichigo and noticed he was looking around, anywhere but in her direction. She turned away and continued to look for food.

When he had met up with them earlier, he seemed excited or as excited as he would show. During the past few weeks, he was finally showing up, but when questioned about anything to do with his division, he'd change the topic or would shrug and say it was boring. It almost seemed like he was keeping yet another secret and both of his friends had had enough. Rukia could understand that some issues in the past were private or painful, but the fact he seemed to be withdrawing from them just wasn't acceptable. Did he not want to be their friend anymore?

"So, now that we are alone, you mind sharing why you are always late and never talk?" Rukia asked, even though it was said quietly, it still seemed to startle him.

"I've just been busy and-" Ichigo began to say when Rukia shook her head and clenched her hands into fists. She was finally going to put an end to all the excuses.

"We are busy too; Ichigo, but Renji and I still make time! You never talk to us about what is going on with you. Even though we ask about how things are going in your division, we want to know what is going on with you! Are you making other friends there? Is the food better? How long to you train for a day? You won't answer us! Do you know how much it hurts that you are distancing yourself from us? The closest we have been in a long time was that stupid fight between you and Renji and that only gave us more things to worry about!" Rukia shouted at him in a stern voice.

Ichigo stared at her, dumbfounded. He had heard her shout many times, but he had never seen her look this angry before. Truthfully, he didn't know he was hurting his friends so much. Sure, Renji would make comments here and there, but it was rare that he'd take the others words seriously.

"I didn't know," Ichigo whispered and glanced over at her and could see she had tears in her eyes. His heart clenched knowing he was the cause of it. He had seen Rukia cry a few times. The first had been after the first night of being adopted by the Kuchiki family, the last secretly by herself when she found out she was in a different division than her friends. He swore that he'd make sure neither one of his best friends ever had to feel sorrow or pain again, and here he was the cause of it now.

"Of course you didn't, you're never there," Rukia muttered and went to sit on a broken tree that was sprawled out on the forest floor.

_What's the point of protecting something if it isn't there?_ He thought back to his nightmare. Even though he knew it wasn't real, it had been on his mind for the past few weeks. He wanted to be strong so the past did not repeat itself, but what was the point if those he cared about were taken away anyways because he had distanced himself from them?

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry," Ichigo whispered as he sat down next to her, but she refused to look at him. "The past few years I got caught up in training to beat Renji, it seemed like nothing else mattered," he said truthfully and Rukia rolled her now dry eyes. She opened her mouth to say something but he quickly spoke up before she did. "I know this doesn't excuse everything after the fight, and the fact I keep arriving late and stuff. There's been more going on than just that."

"Why didn't you tell us? Why does everything have to be so secretive? We care about you and you can tell us anything. We would never judge or think any less of you." Rukia told him and he sighed and rested his arms across his legs as he slouched forward. There was only one way he could explain everything.

"Because that's what I thought you would do. I didn't want to change-" he began to explain before Rukia smacked him in the back of the head. "Damn it, what the hell!" Ichigo yelled at her and rubbed the back of his head. Screw the Zanpakutou, her fist was fiercer.

"Baka, you really thought we would look at you any differently? You obviously-" Rukia shouted at him before he gritted his teeth and finally had enough.

"Shut up!" he snapped and caused her eyes to grow wide before they narrowed. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Rukia's fists clenched again as if she was going to hit him. "You want to know what I've been keeping all these years? Do you know why I passed out after fighting Renji? I'll tell you."

Rukia's eyes widened and she stood up straight. She had never heard Ichigo talk about his past before and suddenly guilt washed over her. Maybe she had pushed him too far. _No, he was being an idiot! _

She closed her eyes and let out a breath before opening them again. "You don't need to tell me if you're not ready. What we want is for you to be more… did you just roll your eyes at me?" Rukia glared at the orange-haired shinigami next to her.

"I told you I was going to tell you and you still won't shut up. I want to tell you because I want to, not because you forced me to." He told her. After talking with Captain Aizen about his past, he had felt much better than by holding it all in. Perhaps letting those closest to him know wouldn't be such a bad thing.

**Urahara's Shoten**

Urahara sat on a green mat in front of a small table sipping tea. He ignored the rattling of noise caused from Tessai and the two children he had decided to create to keep this place lively. Jinta and Ururu certainly kept Tessai on his feet, with how bratty Jinta could be. He was always shoving his chores onto poor Ururu. A small smile spread across his lips thinking of the two when they were in trouble. Jinta would try to place the blame on his sister and Ururu would look up at him with puppy-dog eyes. He never thought what having children running around would bring to him, but they proved him wrong.

He placed the cup of tea down and his smile faltered. He couldn't understand it, of all the men that he knew; Isshin would have been the top of his list as to one that would want a child. He had one, but the last time he had seen Ichigo was when he was barely a year old. He had only met the other shinigami a few times, due to him being Yoruichi's uncle, and he liked him instantly. He had a spark to him that showed friendliness along with fierce determination that would cause anyone to want to back down in a fight against him.

Urahara shook his head as he scooped up a cube of sugar and placed it in his tea. He knew the reason for Isshin's departure, but he thought the man would have chosen his family over anything else. Apparently, he was wrong. Instead, he had requested Yoruichi and himself to watch over Ichigo and Masaki while he was away, never saying when he'd be back.

He had monitored the mother and son for years, and when he heard about the raid that had happened to their district, he knew instantly he needed to get them out of there. He was disheartened to hear that Masaki had been killed and Ichigo had been living on his own for quite some time. It wasn't right, none of this should have happened. The boy looked so sick and thin, and he had used that as an excuse to try to coax him to come with him.

He had hoped the boy would go to the shinigami academy, but then a turn of events happened that caused him to be distracted: Aizen. He lowered his head so his blond hair and white and greet striped hat covered his eyes. Never had he seen a sadistic shinigami as he did with the brown-haired bastard. He used innocent lives to experiment on, even used high-level shinigami for tests, it was unacceptable and sick. When he found out Ichigo had been placed in the fifth division, he knew he needed to get the boy out of there. The main problem he had been having was: Aizen knew every trick he tried and was able to stop anyone from the outside approaching Ichigo.

"Kisuke," Yoruichi's voice broke through the silence and he turned to grin at the purple-haired beauty who stood in the doorway. "Have you talked to Shinji again?" She asked him.

"I've talked to Hirako-san last week, unfortunately, his decision stays the same." Urahara sighed and leaned back against the wall.

"_We understand your situation, Urahara-san, but we are no longer part of Soul Society or what happens with them. We aren't wanted by them and if we stepped back into the Seireitei, they would execute us on spot. Even with that, you think the boy would come with us without a fight? There's not a chance. We know how important the kid is, but we're not going on a suicide mission. Sorry, but as long as he is in Soul Society, we won't be helping."_

Urahara relied the message to Yoruichi who shook her head before sitting down across from him and helping herself to some pastries that were sitting on the table. She started munching on them, not bothering to put them on the plate as she began swallowing them whole.

"So what now?" Yoruichi asked with her mouth full. She reached over and grabbed the pot of tea and began pouring some tea.

"I have an idea that I have been saving," Urahara said as he snapped his fan open and covered the lower half of his mouth.

"You've said that before and they didn't work," Yoruichi replied in disbelief. She inwardly hoped that whatever he was planning would work, but at the same time, she knew there was a chance that the plans could be foiled again.

"What I am proposing to do," Urahara stated as if she hadn't said anything, "is sending a mod soul to do the work." He got up from his spot and walked over to the cupboard and opened a small box that was resting on top.

"But that won't work. You can't put a mod soul inside of a shinigami body, only a gigai! Even if you could, it would look suspicious if a random person walked in there for no reason, or some lost shinigami that isn't in the records . It will be killed on the spot!" Yoruichi scolded him and turned to see him digging through the box until he pulled out a blue pill and placed the box back.

"Ah, but who says I have to use a human body," Urahara told her as he set the pill on the table and threw a stuffed animal along with it. Yoruichi stared dumbfounded at the toy and pill. It sounded crazy and plausible at the same time. No one would spot it. It might just work.

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Rukia stared at the grass blowing before glancing over at Ichigo as they walked back to camp. She was surprised he had told her everything. The pain he had suffered through his life of losing those close to him must have been unbearable. _Is that why he was distancing himself from us? So he wouldn't be hurt again?_ She thought to herself.

"I… how…" Rukia fumbled over her words. What do you say to a person who just told you that he was in the room next door that his mother died and his best friend had been beaten to death. Once again, she felt tears threatening to fill her eyes but shook them off. She had told him that she would never judge him no matter on what he did in the past.

"You don't have to say anything," Ichigo smiled down at her. Surprisingly, telling her had been easier than he expected. She did not interrupt or burst into tears or give him a look of pity. She remained quiet and allowed him to finish. It felt as if the clouds were beginning to part and reveal the sun after a storm.

Rukia smiled back at Ichigo, feeling that the two of them had grown closer in the few hours they had been out. She was finally able to release some steam that had been building up over the past few months and he had been able to release part of the burden that had plagued him for years.

"This still doesn't excuse you from missing out on meeting us. If you're busy, tell us so we can reschedule instead of having us wait and think you forgot about us," Rukia scolded him and crossed her arms over her chest. Ahead, she saw a small fire and tents pitched along with the chatter of a few other people.

"I'll make sure I will," Ichigo promised, and he swore to himself he was going to keep it. Besides, according to Aizen, there was barely anything left to teach him. Perhaps he could spend that extra time with his friends.

"Hey, Kurosaki, Kuchiki, where's the food?" Lieutenant Shiba asked when he noticed they came back empty-handed. Rukia and Ichigo stared dumbfounded before glancing at one another. It was then Rukia gave him one of the most evil grins in history.

"I am sorry, lieutenant Shiba," Rukia cried into a handkerchief, tears pouring down her face.

_Where did that come from?_ Renji and Ichigo both thought simultaneously as they watched the evil petite girl cry.

"We had gathered fruit and vegetables, but then Ichigo, being as clumsy as he is, tripped and the food went into a pond. I told him we can't return until we gather more, but he said why bother." Rukia told him in a fake sorrowful voice.

"Bitch," Ichigo muttered under his breath.

**5th division Second lower basement**

Aizen sat at the small table he usually occupied when Ichigo was training. It was slightly frustrating to have the boy out of his reach and not knowing what his head was being filled with. He noticed over this past month that Ichigo seemed to be growing more distant towards his training and wanting to visit his friends more. Playing the friendly charming captain that he pretended to be, he said he should keep in touch with his friends and not separate himself from them. It was naturally all lies, but he couldn't come out and say that his friends were worthless without giving himself away. _Such a pain_.

"Aizen-san," Tousen's voice echoed throughout the underground training room as he stepped off the last stair and headed over towards his friend. "I have made sure all of the arrangements are in order," he stated while standing a couple of feet away from the other captain.

"Excellent, when will they strike?" The brown haired man asked as if testing his subordinate.

"The experiment hollows will attack in two days. They are programmed to target Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Lieutenant Kaien Shiba as you instructed," Tousen answered with a slight bow of his head. "If you will pardon me, sir, I have a few things I need to take care of in my division. I will be receiving a new lieutenant," he stated and Aizen smiled before nodding.

"Of course, thank you Tousen," Aizen said, not caring that the other man bowed one last time before heading back up the stairs. Everything was working out just as he planned. Soon Ichigo's bothersome friends and that lieutenant that had the nerve to take his prodigy away will be no more. Not to mention, with the added sorrow, the boy would fall deeper into his web.

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A/N: I had the revisions I had made to the other chapters (it was mainly Renji and Ichigo's fight) and for some reason my USB drive looked like garbage to my friend who was housesitting and she threw it away -_- luckily, all my notes for this story and written in a notebook I keep with me at all times. So, revisions will have to be redone (again) **On another important matter, I will return to updating this story every weekend** (starting with this one)!

Thanks so much for reading, hope ya enjoyed and please review!


	20. Day 2

Sorry this chapter is a week late, classes started this week and kinda threw off everything that I had I apologize ahead of time, this chapter put me against my worst enemy, fight scenes. I just can't get along with them (which is going to be tricky since there are quite a few in this story).

Thank you soooooo much to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter, I very much appreciate your feedback! Also a special thanks to the wonderful **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky **for betaing this chapter!

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The next morning came slower than what a few would have liked. The small team had patrolled the outskirts of the Rukongai districts the night before for any signs of the residents acting bizarre or reports of people becoming possessed, but came back empty-handed. Many of the residents glared at the shinigami that had entered their area and had brought their families inside and closed the curtains. Some things hadn't changed over the years as far as Ichigo was concerned.

He remembered feeling the same resentment towards the shinigami that had patrolled around his district and how they did nothing to help the citizens. He had wanted to help them, but with hollows spotted around this area, he could not turn his back on his team. He knew he'd be able to protect the citizens if they were able to get rid of the hollow that possessed people around this area since it had been rumored to take control of female's and use them to lure men before it killed the both of them. Of course the word on the street was it was only a tall tale told by adults to get their kids inside so it made the matter even harder to decipher if there was a hollow around this area or not.

After returning after dark, lieutenant Shiba had told them they were going to sleep in shifts in case of intruders wandering in this area or if the hollows tried to make a surprise appearance. The first was the girl from the thirteenth division, then Renji, and followed by Miyako while the others would be taking turns the next night.

Renji laid snoring on the ground with his arm covering over his eyes. After spending four hours on watch the night before, he was exhausted, even if it had been quiet. He shifted his body so he laid on his right side and curled his hands underneath his head while his blanket was pulled down to his waist. He ignored the gust of wind that swept through his tent that only chilled him for a few seconds before he went back to snoring. It was nice being able to sleep in without the evil pink menace running down the halls and entering his room for a wakeup call. There were so many occasions that he had woken up to find pink writing on his face and candy wrappers that weren't his scattered throughout his room. However, poor Ikkaku was its main target for reasons he did not know or wish to find out.

He slept for only another thirty minutes before chatter outside his tent woke him up. His eye peeked open and stared at the shadows against the tent. However, it wasn't the fact that he had been woken up that bothered him; it was how friendly Rukia sounded with Ichigo. He remembered talking with his petite friend before the mission and she had sounded completely upset with the orange haired shinigami. Even while traveling to the destination they were stationed at now, she had ignored him and would make small talk with Renji.

He had noticed how Ichigo was a little thrown off by the isolation, but then again, he had done the same to them. How many times did they have to wait for him to arrive or not show up at all? Now he got to feel what they did. However, after Rukia and Ichigo returned from their not-so-successful mission of collecting food, they seemed friendly with one another again. He had watched the two of them bicker back and forth like they used to at the academy and couldn't grasp how being gone for such a short amount of time could change the two. Something had to have happened while they were gone.

Renji stretched before finally getting up and leaving the tent. He glanced over to his left and spotted his two friends sitting by the empty campfire chatting until Ichigo looked over at him and scowled. The action caused Rukia to look over at him and she narrowed her eyes in a menacing glance. He didn't know what this was about, but he could tell Rukia did not look pleased.

"Hey, Kurosaki, get over here!" Lieutenant Shiba yelled from a few feet away by the other tents. Ichigo rolled his eyes at his superior and turned back to look at Rukia who was frowning at Renji who still didn't dare to move.

"Ok, what did I do?" Renji finally asked, breaking the silence that was killing him. The only time Rukia ever remained quiet was when she was depressed or too angry to speak with that person. She didn't seem depressed, and so that left him thinking that he had done something to tick her off, again. What it was, he had no clue and was waiting to find out. He only hoped she wasn't in a violent mood.

"I woke up this morning and found Chappy missing," Rukia narrowed her eyes further at him. "I know you have a thing against him and you were the only one up last night that would purposely do something to him," she muttered and crossed her arms over her chest. Renji felt a sweat drop running down the side of his face, the girl really needed to get over that stupid rabbit.

"Kurosaki..." Ichigo's eyes widened before he felt a hand on top of his head. Suddenly the upside-down face of Kaien Shiba was looking back at him with a scowl of his own. "I don't know how Captain Aizen runs his division, but when I call you, you will listen," the lieutenant ordered causing Ichigo to scowl back at him.

"I was going to come in a minute," Ichigo protested and pushed the hand off his head with annoyance. It took less than a few seconds before he felt the back of his haori being pulled and dragged him to his feet.

"You obviously didn't hear me, I said now." Kaien began dragging Ichigo away from his friends, but not without a fight.

"Hey, let me go! I can walk you know!" Ichigo snapped and tried to break free of the lieutenant's grip, but Kaien wouldn't have it.

"What was that about?" Renji asked, motioning towards where the two disappeared off to. Rukia looked curiously at him and shrugged. How was she supposed to know what lieutenant Shiba wanted to talk to Ichigo about?

"I don't know, you'll have to ask him when he gets back," Rukia replied with a sigh and looked down sadly at the campfire.

"No, I mean how you and Ichigo are all buddy buddy again. I thought you were ticked with him," Renji asked her before he sat down in Ichigo's spot.

"We talked yesterday, well more like had a small yelling match and he explained some things," Rukia whispered causing Renji's eyebrow to rise. It was rare to get Ichigo to open up, about anything. Heck, he was more open than their orange-haired friend was for all the years they've known each other. "I think I understand him better, why he kept to himself," she added and folded her hands in her lap.

She had remembered growing up on the streets with Renji and all the other orphans. She had always wondered what having a family would be like and had often wished for one, even though all the kids considered themselves family. However, she had wanted a mother and father and had envied those who had one. Surprisingly enough, once she was adopted and finally gained what she had longed for, it had caused a small rift between her and Renji until Ichigo had forced them back together. She never wanted to lose either Renji or Ichigo. She didn't know how he could have beared it, losing his mother that loved him, and then losing a best friend. She knew if anything happened to Renji, Ichigo, or even Byakuya, she knew she'd be lost.

Across the forest, Ichigo leaned against a tree while lieutenant Shiba sat down on a log. Both of them were further away from the campsite so the others wouldn't hear and Ichigo was wondering why Rukia's lieutenant wanted to talk to him. "What did you want to talk to me about?" Ichigo asked, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling at the lieutenant.

"Just wanted to ask you a few things since I am in charge of you and don't know anything about you besides being Rukia's friend," Kaien replied and began asking questions as soon as he saw the young man nod. "What does your family think of your decision to become a shinigami, or did you follow in their footsteps?" Kaien asked resting his arms on his legs. He watched as the younger shinigami raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Ugh, I don't have any family that are shinigami," Ichigo whispered and Kaien frowned. He hated having to intrude into the kid's life, but Yoruichi had asked (and bribed) him to find out as much information as he could on Ichigo a few days before the mission. She wanted to know how much he knew about his family, mainly anyone besides Masaki who the boy would most likely remember the best. However, he doubted the boy would cooperate with him since the two didn't know each other that well.

"Okay, if you have a problem and need to ask for advice, who do you go to?" Kaien asked him and watched the orange-haired shinigami's features lighten slightly.

"I usually keep things to myself, most of the time," Ichigo shrugged, his eyes gazing at the dirt beneath his feet. "Some of the time, lately, I've been asking my captain for advice and he's helped me," he replied and Kaien rested his chin against the palm of his hand as if studying the younger shinigami.

There was something about the way Yoruichi spoke when she mentioned the fifth division that had made him suspect there was more than she was willing to say. There were hints of anger in her voice, even if she kept her composure and smiled. He could see the distrust and betrayal as well and suspected it had to do with the captain, even if she never said it. It was hard to believe that someone as nice as Captain Aizen could be untrustworthy. Hell, the man rivaled his own captain for favorite captain of the year. If there was anyone he would suspect, it had to be Captain Ichimaru or even Captain ___Kurotsuchi_. Neither of them were right in the head.

"So, ugh, how do you spend most of your free time?" Kaien asked, trying to remember some of the things Yoruichi had wanted him to ask. She really owed him big time.

"Ugh, why?" Ichigo asked, cocking his head to the side while looking at him.

"Cause I like to know who I am counting on, and you never know the next time we work together again," Kaien replied and folded his arms over his chest.

"Actually it sounds more like a personal question," Ichigo replied, causing Kaien to narrow his eyes. "Are you trying to ask me out? If you are, sorry, definitely not interested," Ichigo replied, a small smirk at seeing the lieutenant all flustered.

"First of all," Kaien growled as he got to his feet and pointed his finger. "I'm married and I'd do a lot better than a brat like you," Kaien pointed out. Kurosaki was lucky he was not in his division; the boy would be working non-stop for that comment. Paperwork, cleaning, laundry, and every horrible job he could find, the boy would be doing it! Then again, he could see the same evil taunting that Yoruichi was known for in her cousin. She could ask him herself!

"Ugh, oh I thought I heard voices over here," Hanatarou said as he emerged behind a tree carrying wet green sack with him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, it's just I got lost and was wondering around. Then I heard you guys talking and was so relieved I found people again," Hanatarou tried to laugh to lighten the mood, but neither were smiling.

"It's alright, we were done talking, for now," Kaien stated, eyeing Ichigo out of the corner of his eye.

"Well, I caught something if you guys are hungry," Hanatarou raised the green sack towards the two shinigami and opened it. "I actually caught it last night when I went to the bushes to use the restroom. I was walking by one of the tents and this thing attacked me. I quickly grabbed this sack and threw the creature in here before I started beating and kicking it. I wasn't sure if it was still moving so I took it out to the river and when I was coming back I got lost, but I brought breakfast!" he cheered proudly.

Ichigo and Kaien looked into the sack and their eyes widened immediately. This was not good, not good at all. Instead of having breakfast, they were going to have to deal with a very pissed off short shinigami.

Chappy had been found.

* * *

Later that evening, the group had spread out among the outskirts of the Rukongai district. They had split up into two teams consisting of Kaien, Miyako, and the other two officers from the thirteenth division in the south side while the north had Ichigo, Renji, Rukia, and Hanatarou searching about. The second team was given direct orders that if they found anything remotely suspicious to call the first team immediately. So far, it seemed just as quiet as the night before.

"Kuchiki-san, I am sorry about what happened. I swear, I'll have it replaced as soon as I can," Hanatarou apologized, one hand scratching the back of his head sheepishly and cast his eyes down. He hadn't meant to anger the noble; in fact, it was the farthest thing from his mind. He knew well enough to avoid any nobles and not stand in their way, along with the eleventh division members, some of the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, tenth, and twelfth (definitely those guys). Pretty much anyone that wasn't part of the fourth division he had to avoid, although those from the eighth and thirteenth seemed nice.

"It's alright, Hanatarou. I can always get a new one," Rukia smiled at the boy who refused to raise his head.

"How come she is being nice to him, but if we did it, she'd kick our ass?" Ichigo whispered to Renji who smirked at his friend. It was like old times of them talking about Rukia with her only meters away and glaring at them from the corner of her eye.

"Why do you think? She likes him better than us," Renji whispered back and Hanatarou finally raised his head when he noticed Rukia had turned hers to stare at her friends. "Don't worry, we'll get him when he's asleep," he grinned and almost caused the poor boy to faint.

"Yeah, I think he's in the tent next to ours," Ichigo grinned down at the boy before Rukia finally had enough and smacked both of them on the side.

"Leave him alone, and you're right, I do like him better. He at least has more brains. And you're also right, I would blame you both even if it wasn't your fault," Rukia snapped at them.

"Yeah I knew-" Renji began to say with a roll of his eyes before they heard a shriek from down the street. He looked at his friends and the fourth division member who were all staring at the same direction. "Shit," he cursed as Rukia pulled out her soul pager and began dialing Kaien's number.

"Go on ahead, I'll be there in a second," Rukia ordered as she heard it ringing and waited for her lieutenant to pick up.

"But, but, but, I thought we were supposed to stay together," Hanatarou stuttered and took a step back. He was told he was only there to heal in case anyone had gotten injured during the mission, and the chances of it happening were supposed to be very slim since none of the previous teams had encountered the hollows before.

"Well why don't we make sure it is something instead of some kid just yelling," Ichigo placed a hand on Hanatarou's shoulder before dragging the fourth division with him and Renji.

The shinigami ran down the narrow dirt path towards the source of the scream. There was a chance it could be nothing, just someone screaming for an unknown reason. However, the closer they got to the main street they saw people running in the opposite direction with fear written on their features. There had to be something there.

"I really think we should wait until lieutenant Shiba gets here," Hanatarou muttered as he caught his breath when the two stopped running and stayed off to the side and let the crowd pass.

"They'll be here soon," Renji replied, staring off into the distance as the road finally began to clear. Dust still rose in the air, barely blocking a lone figure that stood near a few buildings that had been torn down. He could hear Hanatarou mumbling how they shouldn't have left Rukia by herself, but she was farther away from the area and was safe until she caught up with them and hopefully by then the other team would have caught up as well.

"Oh, phew it's nothing. It's only a woman," Hanatarou sighed in relief when he saw a tall brown haired woman staring down at the ground, her bangs covering her eyes. She wore a brown ragged dress that went down to her knees and various holes scattered throughout.

"Something is not right," Ichigo whispered, causing the other two shinigami to look at him. There was something very off about this woman. For one, everyone had scrambled away from this area and yet she stayed. It wasn't only that, the energy surrounding her seemed tainted.

"No, ugh, she looks fine to me," Hanatarou laughed cheerfully and Renji looked down at him causing him to stop. He turned back to watch the woman and then noticed something he hadn't seen before. On the ground was a small figure that laid crumbled in a ball and was shaking and whimpering. The woman finally smiled, showing yellow rotten teeth and raised her head, revealing empty spaces in her eye sockets.

"Shit," Ichigo cursed before he darted forward, ignoring Renji and Hanatarou's protest. He was not going to leave a kid lying on the ground with some monster ready to devour it. He reached behind him and grabbed the hilt of Zangetsu and unraveled it before he brought it down upon the hollow who only grinned at him. However, to his surprise, the hollow blocked the attack with its bare hand, ignoring the fact that it had been cut and blood dripped from its fingers.

"Idiot, you couldn't wait for me?" Renji muttered as he appeared at Ichigo's side with Zabimaru unsheathed.

"Shut up and grab the kid," Ichigo yelled as he swung his blade at the hollow who dodged out of the way. _It doesn't seem like it will be that hard._ He thought to himself and charged at the hollow.

"Hey kid, you alright?" Renji asked as he bent down next to the kid, a little annoyed that Ichigo had chosen to fight the creature alone and he had to take care of the kid.

The child was breathing heavily and dug his nails into the ground before it raised it's head to reveal the black empty eye sockets that were similar to the woman's. "Shit," Renji cursed and backed up and luckily dodged out of the way before the child could pounce on him.

Ichigo turned his head when he heard Renji cursed and saw the kid was also possessed by one of the hollows. He muttered his own curse under his breath and raised Zangetsu up to block the attack before the woman's extended nails could dig into him. _I could end this in a matters of seconds. _He thought to himself and shoved the hollow away with a kick to it's stomach.

_Ichigo stared in amazement at the destroyed plastic figure he had been practicing his kido against. It was one of the basic things every student at the academy had to learn, but only at a basic level. It was also one of the things he was not very good at, sure better than Renji, but only by a few points. _

"_Very good, Kurosaki-san," he heard Aizen praise from the side of the training room, standing with a pleasant smile on his face. "I knew it wouldn't take you long before you got a better handle on your kido. It is very simple after enough practice and concentration. I remember being in the academy and you are given very little time for preparation and that is why so many students leave with poor kido skills, and those who are gifted in kido are challenged in other areas of the shinigami arts." Aizen explained as he walked over and placed a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. _

"_It was nothing, I would have learned it sooner or later," Ichigo shrugged off the compliment. He was not easily swayed like others who gushed in satisfaction that they had gotten a compliment. _

"_Indeed, I can see it won't be long before you are performing kido without having to say the chant," Aizen added and removed his hand from the younger shinigami's shoulder once he saw the brief annoyed look on Ichigo's face. _

"_Yeah, whatever, what I can't wait for is to throw this in Renji's face," Ichigo grinned and crossed his arms over his chest. _

"_Kurosaki-san, you can't tell anyone about the special training I am giving you, not even your friends," Aizen reminded Ichigo, his voice remaining calm and composed. "If word got out that I was favoring an officer above all the others, I could lose my place as captain and could no longer train you. You still have ways to go and I see so much potential in you." _

_Ichigo slowly lowered his arms, feeling slightly frustrated. How was he supposed to fight against Renji in a couple of years if everything he learned he couldn't use? "But what about my fight with Renji?" he decided to ask and Aizen's soft smile returned. _

"_You can still fight Abarai-san, but try to keep yourself at his level. Let him make the first move and watch him to determine how far along he has come before making your first move," Aizen explained before turning around and heading back towards the small table where his tea was cooling. _

Ichigo blocked another move from the hollow, not feeling too concerned about it and instead kept turning his attention towards Renji who was moving backwards as the kid kept trying to claw at him.

"Shouldn't you be watching your own opponent and not his?" A familiar voice asked beside Ichigo and he turned to see Kaien standing there with the rest of his group and Rukia.

"Whatever," Ichigo took a step forward towards the woman before Kaien placed a hand on his shoulder and threw him back.

"Why don't you help your friend instead, we'll take care of her," he grinned and he and his wife ran at the female hollow.

"But," Ichigo protested, feeling cheated that his opponent was being taken away from him until Rukia grabbed him by the arm.

"Don't worry about it, let's just help Renji," Rukia told him. He sighed in defeat and ran over to where Renji was holding the hollow off. It looked as if he was doing his best not to attack the kid and instead blocked each blow it made at him.

"How the hell am I supposed to fight a kid?" Renji muttered when the kid backed up a little when the other two came running. A small inhuman snarl escaped it's lips at the fact it was now outnumbered.

"Try to distract it, I'll cast a binding spell on it," Rukia whispered to Ichigo, low enough so hopefully the hollow possessing the child wouldn't be forewarned. He nodded and joined Renji, blocking the kid's attacks and trying their best not to harm him. However, the kid seemed to be inflicting more harm upon himself than they were to him. He purposely grabbed onto the edge of Renji's zanpakutou, cutting his hands open and screaming before letting go.

"Something's not right with this thing," Ichigo muttered, keeping Zangetsu in front of him while Renji held Zabimaru. The hollows attacks were weak and none of them seemed to be connecting with them and instead was targeting their zanpakutous for some reason.

"Whatever, just don't let your guard down. I don't want to be having to do all the work because you got careless," Renji smirked at Ichigo who rolled his eyes.

_I can take care of myself; it's you guys I'm worried about. _He thought to himself as the hollow child ran at them once more, flinging it's body at their zanpakutou's.

"Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then claw out your own throat! Bakudō #9 Geki!" Rukia chanted, never taking her eyes off the target. The hollow froze and dropped to the ground screaming.

"Now what?" Renji asked as he looked at his two companions. He didn't want to kill a child, especially since there was a chance the kid was still in there if they got rid of the hollow.

Rukia looked over at her mentor and his group fighting the hollow-possessed-woman and seemed to be holding their own. Like the child they fought, the woman seemed to be throwing herself at their zanpakutou's and trying to purposely cut herself. All over her body there were varies cuts and bruises, but none were too serious. "I guess we wait," she whispered before a loud crackling noise was heard above them and they all looked up in horror.

**12th Division - Communication Research Section**

"Sir, come quickly!" A young woman got up from her seat, eyes frantic as her voice quivered. Her coworkers around her looked over at her in curiosity at what she had found that had caused the panic. Her superior made his way over to her and she pointed down at her screen, her finger shaking.

"What the... how is this even possible?" He asked, placing his hand on the back of her chair in order to keep himself up right. Of all the years he had worked in the sub-lab, he had never seen or heard of this happening.

"We've been tracking the team that was sent to the Rukongai since yesterday and nothing picked up until we received a call from lieutenant Shiba that one of his members had detected something and for us to check it out. Nothing showed up until a few seconds ago when a garganta opened and well, look!" She pointed to the screen which showed varies of red dots pouring out from a single spot on the screen.

"Sir, what should we do?" The coworker sitting next to the woman asked, a hint of fear in his voice as well. He could have sworn that there was a barrier to prevent hollows from entering Soul Society, or at least that was what he was informed.

"Keep tracking this, I'll alert for help to arrive there immediately!" Their boss ordered and rushed off, leaving the two to stare at the screen. There were only eight members of the squad that were sent, how were they supposed to fend off all these hollows?

* * *

"Shit," Ichigo cursed and readied his zanpakutou as minor hollows began pouring out of the garganta. It didn't matter if they were minor; the large number was what made them lethal.

"Rukia, you stay there, me and Ichigo will handle, ach!" Renji began to say before Rukia punched him in the stomach.

"I am not sitting on the sidelines while you guys fight. I may not be as strong as you guys, but I have grown stronger over the years," she protested, not caring if they were listening or not. She was going to fight.

"AHHHHH!" The three heard the child possessed by the hollow screech and turned just in time to see it break free of the bindings and jump to it's feet.

"Holy shit," Renji muttered and felt his stomach clench when the skin on the kid began to melt off and reveal the true form of the hollow underneath. It didn't take long before a tentacle shot out from the side and aimed straight for Rukia. She held her zanpakutou in front of her, ready to slice it in half when another beat her to it.

"Hanatarou? Thanks," Rukia smiled slightly at the scared boy who was shaking while holding his zanpakutou, not believing he had just sliced the hollow's tentacle off. He tried to smile before the hollow snarled and brought his attention back to the beast that was growing. A squid looking mask covered it's head while two parallel tentacles emerged from it's neck. Slime dripped off of it's body and more tentacles grew from underneath the arms and sides of the hollow until it reached over seven feet tall.

Another screeching noise was heard and the same thing was happening to the hollow possessed person the other team was fighting, except theirs was over eight feet tall with a shark looking mask covering it's face.

"Let's just end thi-" Ichigo began to say when several of the smaller hollows flew at him and knocked him away from the area.

"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed and was about to run to help him when the beast in front of them charged at them.

"Fuck, let's get rid of this thing first," Renji told her. He could see the hesitation in her eyes, wanting to rush to their friend's aid. He knew he felt the same way, but there was no way they'd be able to get to him with the large hollow in front of them.

"Lieu-lieu-lieutenant Shiba, what is that?" One of the thirteenth division members asked as she took a step back. She had never seen anything like this before. Sure, every shinigami had studied hollows and their different forms, but usually the ones she had encountered were a small form with a white mask. This on the other hand was much larger than anything she had expected.

"Don't be standing there shaking, I didn't teach you guys to lower your zanpakutou's during battle!" Kaien shouted as he slashed at a tentacle and narrowed his eyes when it tried to wrap around the blade and pull it from his grip. He yanked it back, but it wasn't until Miyako slashed the tentacle off did it finally let go.

"Try to attack from the left," Miyako suggested, not noticing a tentacle coming up from behind her, "I'll attack from the-" her eyes widened as blood flew in her husband's direction and saw the shocked look in his eyes as pain erupted from her stomach. She slowly looked down to see one of the hollow's tentacle's protruding from her stomach before it slid out and allowed her to fall to her knees.

"Miyako-san!" One of the thirteenth division members screamed in horror at seeing their third seat officer fall to the group. While she panicked, the other ran to the other battlefield to grab Hanatarou immediately before it was too late to heal her.

Two blocks away Ichigo went through a building and landed on the dusty and dirty ground. He coughed as he covered his mouth and slowly got to his feet. The minor hollows were snarling and waiting outside the building, as if they were making sure he didn't leave. It was almost like they were making sure he was separated from his friends.

_Tch, if Captain Aizen found out about this, I'd have to sit through another lecture of "how to not turn your back on an enemy" and to always "overpower them before they can you". Kind of hard when I'm trying to keep my power level down. _He muttered to himself and shunpo'd forward in front of the hollows. He was expecting one would at least try to attack, but they still tried to barricade the way out.

_They should be too busy to notice. _Ichigo thought to himself before he raised his reiatsu high enough that it caused the hollows that were farthest from him to back up while the ones closest fell to the ground shrieking in pain and some even disintegrated.

It was then that he felt someone from the battlefield go down. He glanced in the direction where his friends were, and could sense the person who had fallen's reiatsu was growing weak. _Shit._ Ichigo cursed to himself before raising a hand to block the hollow that tried to attack him. He wrapped his hand around the hollow's slim mask and, without looking, crushed it in his hand and felt the pieces dissolve.

_Fuck this, I can end everything in an instant. _Ichigo thought to himself, worry over his friends consuming him more than his promise to his captain to hide his power.

_Tch, it's not that bad, heck, Renji is strong enough to beat that hollow along with Rukia. The other team has a lieutenant and third seat, they should beat it. _Another thought entered his head. That was before he felt another person go down and seconds later another reiatsu signature disappeared all together.

Ichigo's eyes widened in shock, realizing who had fallen and bowed his head. _Why the fuck am I standing around. Fuck this. _Ichigo thought bitterly before he raised his zanpakutou and slashed the hollows around him.

_Sorry captain, I'm breaking my promise. Some things are more important!_

* * *

So recap: **two people down and one person dead (and the only person who I refuse to kill is Hanatarou, he's just too adorable, the only other hint I'll give is that they are all important characters).** Aizen will never, and I mean never, turn into whatever the heck he is now in the manga (butterfly version, condom, 8 headed beast, etc) in this fic! He's actually become very OOC and Aizen in this story was more like how he was in HM. I am still in the process of revising some of the other chapters and will try to get it finished by this week (kinda have to for the rest of the story to work).

Also I've decided to change the update date to every Wednesday or Thursday because I'm so busy during the weekdays and don't have much time to write and this way I can work on it during the weekend and doing any finishing up on Monday before my beta gets the chapter.

Thanks for reading, hope ya enjoyed, and please review :)


	21. Loss of a Friend

Thank you so much to everyone that reviewed the last chapter *hugs you all* I really appreciate the feedback! Also, I am really not sure what day of the week updates will be on, it depends on the week, but I'll try to make sure its at least once a week!

Special thanks to the super fast **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for betaing this chapter!

Warnings: language and character death

* * *

"MIYAKO!" Kaien shouted, his hand shaking and almost loosening its grip on his zanpakutou. He didn't know how he was able to remain in the same spot without rushing to his wife. The drops of her blood splattered all over the ground only enraged him and he felt torn for a minute. He wanted to shunpo over to her and take her away from the battlefield and somewhere safe where she could be healed. The other part, the part that won, was telling him to avenge her and to cut down the hollow that had pierced her. He knew the latter was what he should do, despite his own inner conflict. He couldn't just abandon his comrades in the middle of battle.

Kaien turned his back on the scene of his wife, as hard as it was, and faced the hollow. Luckily, Hanatarou was rushing to the scene and would hopefully be able to heal her injuries before they were life threatening. For now, he had to concentrate on the battle ahead of him and once it was over, he would comfort his wife.

"We'll help you, sir!" One of his officers said as both of them stood next to him. He could see the fear in their eyes, but also a speck of anger in them as well. They had just witnessed their third seat officer go down, a woman who was kind to everyone. A woman who was willing to go out of her way, even for those who weren't ranked. It made him feel even more proud of his wife.

Across to the other battle, Rukia and Renji were not fairing any better. Since the hollow had melted the human skin off of its body, it had become increasingly stronger. Their eyes watched with caution every way a tentacle would go, knowing at any moment it would try to strike.

Rukia glanced over at Renji with worry in her eyes. She knew Miyako had gone down, and for a ranked officer as high as her to go down spelled trouble for the rest of them. What chance did they have against this hollow if even a third seat didn't stand a chance? Still, she was not going to go down without a fight and it was out of the question to tell Renji if maybe they should run. He would smack her upside the head and call her stupid for suggesting such a thing. Then there was Ichigo.

She wondered if he was all right. She knew he was a good fighter, but there had been dozens upon dozens of smaller hollows. Even though many of them looked weak and could be taken down with a single swing, they could easily overpower him with their numbers. She only hoped that he was alive, along with the rest of them before backup arrived.

"Idiot, pay attention," Renji yelled at her and cut down a tentacle that was aimed at her. She took a step back, not realizing she had been so distracted by her thoughts that she hadn't noticed it was aimed at her. She looked at the back of Renji and he turned his head to the side quickly.

"If I trap this thing, can you blow it up?" He asked her, turning his attention back to the hollow.

"Yeah, just make sure you can hold it long enough," Rukia responded and took a step back with her zanpakutou in front of her. She watched as Renji raced at the hollow, side-stepping as tentacles came at him, one almost piercing his side before he shunpo'd out of the way.

"Howl, Zabimaru!" He yelled and his zanpakutou extended and wrapped around the hollow's body. The sharp blades piercing it and causing green globs to run down the side until it hit the ground. A startling shriek rang from the hollow as it tried to break free, even cutting itself deeper in its attempts.

"_Ye lord! Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man!" _Rukia began to chant, trying to keep her concentration on the hollow in front of her, however, during the incantation she heard a scream to the side.

"Lieutenant Shiba!" She heard one of the other officers cry and felt her blood run cold. It was as if her mind had shut down when she heard his name being called, knowing something terrible had happened. She paused her incantation and glanced over and finally felt her Zanpakutou drop from her fingers. Her eyes widened at the sight of her teacher, the one person who had faith in her from the beginning since she had entered the thirteenth division and her first friend there, dangling from one of the tentacles of the other torn-up hollow.

"Rukia! What are you waiting for?" Renji yelled, keeping his attention on the hollow instead. Sweat ran down his face as the hollow began breaking free of Zabimaru.

The hollow in front of them screamed as it finally broke free of the restrain and shot a tentacle at Renji, piercing through his shoulder and sending him back into the cement building, knocking him out cold.

"RENJI!" Rukia shouted, her body frozen in shock over just seeing her teacher fall and now her friend injured because of her. Memories of what she had been taught in the academy came racing back to her. She was supposed to remain calm and not stop fighting until the hollow was executed otherwise she could be killed as well. However, saying something and actually experiencing it were two different things. She had never prepared herself if something like this should actually occur. Sure, she had horrible thoughts of if it were to happen, but she had never thought they would come to pass.

_Be strong. You have to keep fighting!_ She reminded herself and slowly bent down to grab her zanpakutou. She doubted if she was ready to fight and prayed that the back-up would arrive at any moment to destroy the disgusting creature in front of her.

She narrows her eyes as a tentacle shot at her and sliced through the flesh easily before having to dodge another one. She could feel the adrenaline rushing through her body, wanting to cut this hollow down before it could harm anyone else she held dear.

"Ha," Rukia raised her zanpakutou in order to block a stronger tentacle that did not slice through her blade. She felt her feet digging into the ground as the tentacle began pushing her backwards and she bit her lip as she used everything she had to hold her ground.

_I cannot fail._ She told herself as she shoved the tentacle back and blocked another blow before she was struck. Another steel tentacle came racing at her and luckily, she blocked it before it could pierce her skin. However, at the same time, another tentacle raced alongside the other one and she barely had time to dodge it before it struck the side of her arm.

She winced and rolled on the ground to evade the attack the tentacle shot at her. She covered her hand over the wound and quickly inspected it. It was not deep, but still bleeding down her arm and staining her haori. She glanced over at the hollow and saw that it's entire being was racing at her, jaws wide open with eleven tentacles swirling around it's body.

_This can't be happening. _She thought as it came closer with each passing second. _It can't end this way. I have to make sure Renji and Ichigo are all right. I have to make sure Kaien and Miyako are fine. I can't die here! _She thought to herself, feeling the numbing inside her rush back.

She stared frozen as it was about to strike her when she felt something grab her from behind. It happened so fast she barely registered that she was safe. She finally looked down at the arm that was wrapped around her waist and slowly glanced up in shock to see Ichigo looking off into the distance.

"Ich-Ichigo?" Rukia mumbled, still in shock not only because of seeing her friends injured or even seeing him rescue her, it was the different attire he wore. He wore a long black jacket that spread out once it reached his waist with red interior and fringed at the end. However, what was most surprising was his zanpakutou. Zangetsu was always teased for being so large and anyone in Soul Society could identify it by it's size and it's owner with the orange hair. However, the blade he held was a slim black sharp looking katana with a red swirled in with black wrapping around the hilt. A small black chain dangle at the end of it, blowing slightly from the wind.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly and set her down, still avoiding her gaze. She stared at him in shock before she looked over at the hollow that had almost eaten her to see it slowly disappearing after being cut in half.

"Ye-yeah. Ichigo, what…" she stumbled over her words. She knew most of it was still due to the shock, and hoped he would help her out.

"Promise you won't tell anyone about this," he whispered and turned to finally face her. She only stared at him in confusion still, not understanding what he meant. "Rukia, swear to me you won't tell anyone that I learned bankai," he repeated and her eyes widened.

_He knows…when did he become so strong?_ She thought to herself. She always knew Ichigo was the strongest of the three of them, despite what Renji might claim. She knew one day he would reach bankai, but this soon? "Ichigo, when did you learn bankai?" She asked, finally able to regain her voice.

"I'll explain later," Ichigo told her as he bent down in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Rukia," he began to say when she finally answered him.

"I swear I won't tell anyone," she whispered and saw his eyes relax slightly, even though they were still laced with worry. She watched as he sighed in relief before wrapping an arm around her and hugging her.

"I'm sorry I didn't get here in time," he said before he let her go, ignoring her shocked look in favor of looking in the direction Renji was injured in.

_Why is he…_ she stopped in thought and turned her attention to the other fight. She heard the hollow shriek and began moving away from the group. The other thirteenth division members looked worse for wear and seemed relieved that the hollow was retreating into a garganta. A small sigh of relief escaped her, knowing that the others would be safer now that the hollow was gone.

Rukia slowly got off her knees and glanced back at Ichigo who was digging Renji out of the building and had allowed his bankai retract to his Shikai. She took a step forward to help him find their friend when she heard cries coming from the other direction that made her heart jump. She turned back towards the other battlefield and saw the group gathered around. With one last look in Ichigo's direction and seeing he had found Renji, she took a step towards her division members.

"Kaien!" She heard Miyako cry and saw the woman clutching her husband in agony. On either side of them were the other officers, both breaking down into tears and comforting one another. Hanatarou was shaking and had his head bowed in failure because he was unable to save the lieutenant.

As she grew closer, she finally stopped when she saw her lieutenant and friend's appearance. Several holes littered his chest and the skin around his neck was raw and red from being strangled to death. However, something she knew she would never forget were his empty eyes that stared up at the sky.

Rukia hadn't even realized tears were running down her face until she felt them fall off his chin and hit the ground. She knew her brother would scold her for showing weakness and how nobles never showed emotion, but at this moment, she didn't care. He could kick her out of the family as far as she was concerned. She suddenly felt her knees give out from under her and they hit the ground harshly, most likely leaving a bruise, but she didn't care. One of the most important people in her life, her teacher and friend, had been taken away from her.

"I'm so sorry," she cried into the ground, not caring if she was making a scene. The others were so caught up in their own grief they didn't even notice her.

"Rukia," she raised her head up and glanced to the side to see Ichigo bending down next to her and placing an unconscious Renji on the ground. Their other friend was knocked out and was bleeding from the head, but was luckily alive.

He looked up at the crying people gathered around their lieutenant and bowed his head. He hadn't known the man very well, but from his encounter with him earlier, he knew he was a good man. A feeling of guilt washed over him, knowing he could have prevented this entire scene before it started. If only he hadn't hidden his powers, Kaien would be alive, Miyako wouldn't have bandages wrapped along her side, and Renji would be awake and annoying the crap out of him.

Rukia clutched Ichigo's haori as he wrapped a comforting arm around her and let her cry into his chest. He rubbed her back up and down while watching the scene in front of him.

"I hate them," he heard Rukia whisper and looked down at the petite girl whose eyes were red with tears running down her cheeks. "I hate that hollow and every other hollow out there!" she cried louder into his chest and clutched his haori tighter. She remembered learning about hollows at the academy and how they were souls that had either been eaten by other hollows or were so consumed by grief, anger, or other emotions that had caused their soul chain to deteriorate faster than it should before becoming mindless monsters. It was the duty of a shinigami to end their suffering, and at the moment, Rukia wished for all of them to disappear.

They were no longer souls that had lost their way. They were sick demented monsters that enjoyed nothing but destroying the lives of everyone they came across. She had heard stories of hollows that played with their victims before they devoured them. Some would take the sick pleasure of killing an entire family and leaving one sole survivor just to live in agony. No soul could be so cruel and live without being sent to the underworld. It was only more proof that hollows needed to be destroyed.

She vowed, then and there on her soul, that no one else that she loved would ever be harmed by a hollow as long as she lived. She may not have been as strong as Ichigo or Renji, but she swore she would get stronger so the next time she encountered a hollow, she would be able to destroy it before it destroyed her or anyone else she loved.

**In the Fifth Division**

Aizen sat in the basement training area sipping his tea casually with Tousen who had yet to touch his tea. He had never questioned the fifth division captain and had kept his faith that Aizen would change Soul Society for the better and rid it of the corrupted souls that ran it. It wasn't until the captain had taken an interest in the Kurosaki boy whom he had been investing so much time in. He knew most of the information that was found on the boy, and how little they truly had found on who the boy was. Of course, he also wasn't stupid. He could see the potential in Kurosaki, but Aizen's plans for him were something he was still having a hard time grasping. The boy was not a captain, nor a lieutenant. If the boy were to leave the Gotei 13, he wouldn't be affecting as many lives as the three captains.

"Aizen-san, Tousen-san," Gin's voice sang as he stepped off the last stair and walked over towards the two captains with a grin across his face, one that spoke of more excitement than his usual grin. "Ya never gonna believe the news I just heard," he told them as he finally approached the table and made himself comfortable in the chair to Aizen's left.

"What have you found?" Tousen asked quietly, raising his head in the direction of the other man's voice.

"Oh, reports have come back that the mission that Ichi-chan went on was under attack. Kaien Shiba was killed, his beautiful wife was injured, and Abarai has yet to wake up, but is stable. Not ta mention, they weren't able to find out any information about the hollows or record how the hollows were able ta possess the people before attackin' and a garganta opening in the Rukongai. Ya should see how many people are panicking, it is quite amusing," he replied and began helping himself to the tea on the table. "Looks like ya plan didn't work after all; Kuchiki and Abarai are still alive. Maybe next time ya should send a better bunch of experiment hollows," he brought the warm cup to his lips and blew on the tea.

"Who is to say that my plan didn't work?" Aizen smiled as he placed his cup on the table and rested his chin against the top of his hand. Gin's grin turned into a frown of confusion and even Tousen looked the same.

"But I thought the purpose of sending those hollows was to kill them? You said it yourself before that you don't like the boy out of your sight and the only way was to get rid of the problem," Tousen commented.

"That is true, but this served as two purposes. I had hoped that the hollows would be strong enough to kill those three, but one is good enough for now. The second purpose was to test the boy's loyalties. If he used his powers, his friends would have been saved, and if not, then they would have been killed. I know my student well to know he could take those hollows out in a matter of seconds. However, his attachment to his friends is still stronger than his loyalty to me," Aizen revealed, his messy brown hair falling in front of his eyes.

"Sounds like those kids are cutting through the web ya got on that boy," Gin shrugged and his smiled returned. "Guess ya gonna have ta make em stronger." He lifted his cup in his hand again, feeling the tea cooler than it was before.

"There is still plenty of time to work on the boy, we have a long while before we leave," Tousen said to Ichimaru and sat back in his chair. He heard a small chuckle come from Gin who glanced over at Aizen.

"I thought we told ya, sorry about that," Gin told him with an amused voice that made Tousen frown in even more confusion.

"There is no reason for us to wait years before our departure," Aizen slightly eased Tousen's confusion, but only brought on more questions.

"But what about…" Tousen turned to Aizen, but his superior cut him off.

"We know the location of the Hogyoku, and I highly doubt that Urahara will allow it anywhere near Soul Society. Our best option is to retrieve it ourselves. What other reason do we have in staying here? None, so we shall make it sooner," he answered and watched in amusement as Tousen's mouth opened before closing. It was like watching a fish gasping for air before he finally was able to put forth the words that had yet to come out.

"How much sooner?" He asked, trying to comprehend that they didn't have as much time here as he thought. He could have sworn they had another thirty or more years left before their betrayal. Was it a good idea? Did they have everything worked out so it would go according to plan? All it could take was one little slip up and they would all either end up in prison waiting for execution if they weren't killed before that. However, his faith in the brown-haired man sitting next to him outweighed his concerns. Aizen was extremely intelligent and did everything thoroughly before advancing.

"If the boy had shown more loyalty to me and had kept his powers hidden, it would have been a matter of weeks. I believe within a few months we will all be ready to leave," he sighed before picking up his cup of tea and sipping it once more.

"A few months? But…even after all this time, how do you know he will go with us? If he hasn't shown his loyalty after these past five years, how could a few months change things? Not only that, but his friends? You've already stated they are your biggest obstacle and I think killing them wouldn't make much of a difference. From what you've told me, the boy shows compassion towards those who aren't even his friends so how could you turn him completely against Soul Society in such a short amount of time?" Tousen asked. He didn't like doubting the other man, but a few months seemed unreasonable.

"Rest assured, my friend, Ichigo will be joining us as we descend into Las Noches willingly," Aizen smirked, placing his empty cup down and pouring more tea.

"Are you going to blackmail him?" Tousen asked curiously once again, and this time caused Gin to chuckle. He began to wonder how much he had been left out of if the silver-haired man knew more than him.

"That does sound like fun. Maybe kidnap Kuchiki or Abarai and hold them and tell Ichi-chan that if he don't come with us, we'll kill them," Gin laughed and even caused a small chuckle from Aizen.

"That is too much work and can be messy, especially since it involves the noble princess and Abarai missing from the eleventh would not go down well with some of the other members of that division. Not to mention, then Ichigo would show resentment towards us and not share in our belief that there needs to be a new King on the throne," Aizen answered with a satisfied smile and turned to finally glance at the ninth division captain. "You do not need to worry yourself; everything is already taken care of. All I need to do is stay in good terms with him and he'll be following us."

"Ah that's right," Gin slapped the side of his cheek and shook his head. "No wonder ya are so confused, Tousen, we never showed ya the disc I found. It'll explain everythin' to ya, and like Captain Aizen said, all we need ta do is sit around and wait for everythin' to blow up on Ichi-chan."

* * *

You really expect Aizen's response to be anything but "just as planned"? The man always has a backup plan! Also, this story will not be running into the canon so there is no "Rescue Rukia Arc". Side note, 420…damn. Now I'm thinking of considering that to be in here (not Aizen's Ghidorah form, but Ichi's badass form).

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


	22. Guilt

Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed *hugs you all* I greatly appreciate your input and theories about the story! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long, an explanation is at the bottom

Special thanks to the wonderful **Black Sun Upon An Icy Sky** for betaing this chapter!

* * *

Ichigo bowed his head as he walked towards his division. Other shinigami that were patrolling the area or strolling with their friends would stop and stare at him in shock. He simply closed his eyes and ignored the stares as he sped up his speed in hopes to get to his division faster. The news about what had happened on his mission traveled quickly, but then again, a lieutenant was killed nso it shouldn't have surprised him. It also didn't help that it was the famous Kaien Shiba that had met his fate that got everyone chatting.

It hadn't taken long for back up to finally arrive fifteen minutes after the hollows retreated. Everyone was broken and in despair. Rukia hadn't stopped crying and continued to sob into his chest, and it only got worse when they picked up her lieutenant's body and carried it away. It was then that they had a hard time breaking Miyako away from her husband. The normally kind, gentle, and quiet woman had completely broken down and refused to leave his side, even if he was no longer there. The other two officers bowed their heads and cried in one another's shoulder, blaming themselves for what happened to their beloved lieutenant. Renji had yet to wake up the whole time and a member from the fourth division cried for someone to take him there immediately.

The group was soon transported to the fourth division to be checked on. He had been fine and stayed by Renji's side while the others were looked over. He watched as Captain Unohana checked the redhead over and made her assessment of what was wrong. He remembered her eyes looking gravely at him and told him that Renji was in a coma, and the best thing they could do was watch over and take care of him until he decided to wake up. It was then that Ichigo felt panic rise inside of him, knowing he had failed his friend. If only he hadn't stood around and tried to hold his powers back then his friends would be fine.

He ignored the captain's comforting hand on his shoulder as she told him she was 'sorry' and if he needed anything to let her know. He simply stared at his best friend and bowed his head, cursing at his failure to protect Rukia and Renji. An hour later, Ikkaku and Yumichika arrived to watch over their comrade and told Ichigo to go home and get some sleep. He protested at first, refusing to leave his friend's side until Captain Unohana intervened and told him that if Renji's condition were to change, she'd alert him immediately and he'd still be there the next day.

Ichigo finally gave in and with one last look at his unconscious friend; he set out the door and down the hallway. He passed by many fourth division members running around with various equipment and got out of their way. A soft sob caught his attention and he continued down the hallway until he reached the room of the noise. He peered inside and saw Captain Ukitake sitting in a chair near Kaien's unconscious body with his head bowed. On the other side was Miyako crying into her dead husband's chest. Rukia and a few other officers stood in the room with tears at the lost of their lieutenant. He watched them for a moment before proceeding out the door, wanting to give them their privacy.

He sighed in relief when he saw the gates to the fifth division come into view. However, what surprised him was a figure standing at the gate and the closer he got to it, he was able to recognize the person.

Captain Aizen stood waiting for him with a sympathetic expression on his face and his hands behind his back as he waited for his officer. He watched as the young man dragged himself to the gate and placed a hand on the youth's shoulder. "I am sorry for what happened," he whispered as he opened the gate to allow them inside.

"It's not your fault," Ichigo shrugged, his dead eyes wandering over the fifth division grounds to find it surprisingly empty. Normally, around this hour, people would be gathering, training or doing other sorts of activities.

"I've requested that there be a special meeting for the division, it shouldn't end for another three hours," Aizen answered his thoughts and saw the boy looked hesitant like he should be with the rest of his division, though he could see the boy was still deeply troubled after the experience he had just witnessed. He figured as much and ushered him towards his office. "I figured this would be the best time to talk if you wish to do so," he said quietly as he opened the door to his building and held the door open for Ichigo.

"What's there to talk about? I fucked up," Ichigo turned his head to the side as he followed his captain down to his office. He could feel the nagging pain deep within his chest, reminding him of his failure. How he could have saved Rukia the torment of seeing her lieutenant killed. How he could have prevented Renji from falling into a coma. It was all his fault. He had the power to protect them and chose not to use it.

"How is it you messed up?" Captain Aizen asked as he sat down at his desk and Ichigo took a seat in the chair in front of him. He watched the young man run a hand over his face and bow his head into his knees. "Ichigo?"

"I could have killed those hollows. They were nothing! Hell, the kido ones you make up are stronger than those and I did nothing. I stood around and waited until they were almost dead to do something!" He gripped his hair and tugged on it. "I might as well have just killed lieutenant Shiba," he muttered under his breath.

Aizen stared down at the boy and watched him. Those insecurities still hung onto him, binding him to guilt of actions he could not have controlled. It was this exact reason he made sure the boy did not become a lieutenant or captain, even though he was well above that level. Gin had thrown away his attachments and Tousen believed that things were done for the better, for Ichigo, he knew the boy wouldn't be able to handle betraying those around him. He knew the boy would never abandon his relationships he had, such as with his friends in order to help him. Aizen had known this long before Ichigo had even told him his back-story. That had only helped in his plans, but he also knew what he had to do in order to detach Ichigo away from everyone. Oddly enough, he had to do little work and watch as it unwound itself. All he needed to do was support the boy in his time of need and continue to keep his trust for when the time came…

"You cannot take responsibility for actions that are in the past, Ichigo," the older man said quietly, but the younger did not move. "You are not solely responsible for every person in Soul Society, nor am I or anyone else. You will only cause more harm to yourself by placing the blame that should be equally shared on you alone," he stated when the young man finally raised his head and glared at his mentor.

"But I…" Ichigo closed his eyes and fisted his hakama. He slowly shook his head before standing up and knocking the chair to the floor out of rage. "_This is the whole fucking reason why I wanted to get stronger, to protect my friends! What was the point of training for these past five years if I can't even save anyone? Renji is in a coma and they're not sure when he'll wake up! Rukia is torn because her lieutenant was killed, not to mention everyone who was injured during the mission_!" He hands waving around before balling into fists before running them through his hair.

He could feel the anger coursing through him and a part of his mind cracking ever so slowly. He lowered his hands from his head and began pacing around the office nervously and fidgety. He wanted to destroy it, rip everything to pieces. If he couldn't, he wanted to at least beat the shit out of someone, anyone! More importantly, he wanted someone to beat him up, a serving punishment for his failure to protect his group.

Ichigo finally turned to look at his captain sitting quietly in his chair watching his student pace around the room. The younger shinigami narrowed his eyes at the man's silence and walked up to the edge of his desk. "Aren't you going to say something? It's not my fault and all the crap?" He muttered darkly, though felt a twinge of guilt. It wasn't Captain Aizen's fault he had failed. His mentor had taught him everything he knew and made sure he learned it to a perfection. It wasn't his fault Ichigo had chosen to hide his powers until the end of the fight.

"I have already stated that, but since you chose not to listen to my advice, what would you have me say? I know it, and I know somewhere deep down inside of you, you know this event was not your fault. Repeatedly telling you this would be meaningless until you finally decide to believe it for yourself," Aizen replied and watched as his student's expression softened slightly and the anger dimmed away. He could still see the frustration in Ichigo's face and the sadness deep within his eyes.

"It is a tragedy what happened to lieutenant Shiba, but the circumstances could have been much worse. Instead of one death, there could have been many. Yes, Abarai-san and Kuchiki-san are scarred from the event, but they came back with their lives. The other members of the thirteenth division were able to walk away as well because you," Captain Aizen stated as he gently pushed back on his chair and slowly stood up. He wore a sad smile on his face as he walked around the desk and up to his student. He gently placed a comforting hand on the younger shinigami's shoulder.

"I do not expect you to get over this tragedy in one day, and suggest you take the next week to yourself. Visit your friends and I will find out when lieutenant Shiba's funeral is and we will all attend," Captain Aizen told him as the younger man bowed his head. "For what it is worth, I am very proud of you," he watched as the orange-haired shinigami raised his head and looked confused, and the captain raised his hand before the other could speak. "You may look at this as a failure, but I see it as you were able to keep your promise and protect those you could."

"I'm sorry," Ichigo sighed as Aizen took a step back away from him and the youth looked down at the chair he had knocked over. "I…" he began to say before his captain shook his head.

"There is no reason to apologize. Your reaction is natural after what you experienced," Captain Aizen stated as he leaned against his desk and watched the younger man look hesitant, like he wanted to confess something to him.

"Rukia saw my bankai," Ichigo revealed and scratched the back of his head, his eyes played down at the ground. "When I felt lieutenant Shiba disappear, I panicked and used it. She was the only one who saw it, and I made her promise not to tell anyone…" Ichigo paused and shifted to his side like a guilty child who had done something wrong. He figured his captain would have realized that he had used his powers, not to their fullest extent, but had broken his promise on keeping his powers dormant from public view.

"I figured as much," Captain Aizen said as he saw the boy look uneasy. This had been the perfect way to test the boy, after all. If he had broken his promise, his friends would have died and left the boy in his clutches, but he had chosen to save them and his loyalty seemed to waver. Still, he had expected this result and knew it would take just a little longer. Though, he was impressed the boy had come right out and confessed that he had betrayed his trust. He hadn't expected that, but it was only an added bonus that benefited him.

"You do not need to look ashamed about it. I taught you in order for you to keep your word that you could protect those you care about from danger and you did just that. What I was concerned mainly about was you showing off your powers and revealing that I was picking favorites by teaching you," Aizen stated and lied ever so smoothly. By teaching the boy, it served many purposes that helped Aizen along the way. Not only did it make the boy think he was keeping his promise to his dead mother and friend by getting stronger, but it helped gaining the boy's trust. It also would help when they descended to Hueco Mundo from this pitiful place. He did not need to be surrounded by more weaklings, but with this boy releasing his potential, he would be strong enough to stand by their side when they left Soul Society.

"Don't worry, she won't tell anyone," Ichigo clenched his hands into fists at his sides, not realizing until then that he felt slightly better talking with his mentor. He still felt guilt overwhelming him, but not to the degree it had when he first entered the office. "Thanks, for talking to me," Ichigo turned his head away.

"You know you can always speak to me about anything, and I will never hold anything against you. You know I will always make time for you even if I have to rearrange my schedule," Aizen told him with a soft smile on his face.

"Why?" Ichigo suddenly asked. He already knew the answer, but couldn't help letting it escape his lips once more. He knew the only reason why Aizen had trained him was to help him reach his potential, but there had to be more. He could have simply let him train and figure things out on his own. "Why have you been helping me? Not only that, but listen to my shit?" He asked, his face becoming serious. He watched his captain raise an eyebrow and only smiled affectionately.

"I will admit, I first wished to train you to help unlock your potential. I could see you were going to be powerful, even during your finals at the academy. I knew you would one day become a great shinigami and wished to help you along. Over the years, I found myself growing more attached through our training sessions. However, when you opened up about your past, I felt more sympathetic and protective of you. You've grown to be more than just one of my officers and student. I guess, as cheesy as it may sound though true, I feel like you're the son I never had," Aizen turned away and walked back behind his desk and look out the window.

"I've watched you train and fight to become stronger. You've always been able to impress me where very few have been able to. As I told you earlier, I'm proud how you have progressed and grateful to have been able to help you along the way," he stated and didn't tear his eyes away from the darkening sky as Ichigo came to stand beside him. "I know your mother and Tatsuki would be proud of you too."

Ichigo stared up at his captain, slightly shocked by the answer. He hadn't expected that answer from him. He thought he only saw him as a ranked officer and took it as his duty to be there for him like the others. The fact he thought of him like a son…Ichigo didn't know what to think. He hadn't always felt comfortable around the man at first, but found himself respecting his captain where very few earned that respect and trust. He never judged him on what he had to say or hide the truth from him. He would always push him to work harder and remind him of his goal that he had placed upon himself…

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts and he froze when he saw Captain Ichimaru step in with his ever-famous creepy grin. "Hiya Captain Aizen! I was just stoppin' by ta see if ya wanted ta go to the fourth division ta pay our respects ta lieutenant Shiba," Gin asked, closing the door behind him and his smile never faltered, even when he saw Ichigo in the office.

"I suppose I should," Aizen replied before turning back to Ichigo who looked startled by Gin. "Why don't you go rest for the night," he suggested, but noticed Ichigo took a step back when Gin came up next to him.

"So how's your training goin', Ichi-chan?" Gin asked as he wrapped a friendly arm around the younger shinigami who flinched. He had heard stories about Captain Ichimaru, and none of them were good. Many had said that he shouldn't have been a captain and never to turn your back on him unless you wanted to be stabbed in the back. Others had said he got off on taunting and mocking other shinigami before killing them.

"Uh," Ichigo broke the contact and stepped away from the other man. His eyes narrowed at the silver-haired captain, watching his every move.

"There is no need to be afraid of Gin, Ichigo," Captain Aizen stated as he placed his hands behind his back and ease his student's mind. "I used to train him when we were in the same division and he became my lieutenant. I know he has a bad record," his eyes passed over to Gin who shrugged carelessly.

"Can't be helped. People around here are just too stuck up and it is so much fun messing with them," Gin looked at his former captain.

"And this is why there are several rumors passing around about you," Aizen shook his head, the whole thing just an act for Ichigo. "None of them are true," he glanced at his current student. "People make up their own fantasy rather than understand what is the truth. I assure you, we've been friends for years and what you have heard about him is all false."

"Aw, why did ya have to go ahead and spoil my secret," Gin pouted before taking a step closer to Ichigo. "Ya won't spoil it for me will ya? I'd hate for ya ta end up in a ditch," Gin grinned and Ichigo narrowed his eyes at the third division captain.

"Gin," Aizen warned before the other captain chuckled and patted Ichigo on the back.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't do that. Besides, with Captain Aizen trainin' ya, we're sort of like brothers now," Gin shook his hand through Ichigo's hair, messing it up and causing the younger shinigami to scowl and swat his hand away.

"I'm not going to end up crazy, am I?" Ichigo asked, looking over at his captain who smiled and simply shook his head.

"Gin, please leave him alone. I wouldn't blame him if he decided to cut your hand off after the day he has had. Besides, we should be visiting the fourth division before it is too late," Aizen sighed, feeling a small spark of anger towards his former student. Of all the times he had to interrupt, he had to do it now?

"Aw, fine then. I'll see ya later, Ichi-chan!" Gin waved to the younger shinigami before going out the door to wait for his former captain. Meanwhile, Aizen shook his head and turned towards Ichigo.

"As I said, he is harmless, despite his antics. Now then, why don't you get some rest, like I suggested and I'll see you later on this week," he ordered as Ichigo nodded and walked towards the door. Aizen turned his head away and looked towards some of the papers on his desk. He would have to order Gin to keep away from the boy until they were ready. This was not how he planned on introducing Ichigo to Gin or Tousen, and now he would have to work on this for the next months.

"Captain," Aizen raised an eyebrow and looked at the door where Ichigo was standing. "Thanks," he replied quietly before leaving.

* * *

"_Who the fuck did this_?" A voice echoed throughout the fourth division alerting everyone of the man's presence. Several division workers ran towards the room that was occupied by the loved ones of Kaien Shiba. Two members arrived to see a woman placing her hand on the man who was yelling's chest and had a murderous look in her eyes.

"Ganju, shut up and sit down, now!" Kūkaku Shiba yelled at her younger brother who was fuming. Ever since they received the news that their older brother, Kaien, had been killed, neither could believe it. Kaien had always been the strong one of the family, and the protector. The thought of their big brother killed was unthinkable. He couldn't have died, but reality hit and hard once they walked into the room.

Miyako still sat by Kaien, refusing to leave his side even when healers came and requested they check her over since she had been injured. She simply stared at her husband while everyone else was non-existent within the room. Luckily, Captain Unohana told them it could wait since Hanatarou had done the best job he could on healing the woman.

Captains, lieutenants, and many different officers from almost every division showed up to pay their respects to the fallen lieutenant and told her how sorry they were. Normally, her kind and friendly face would greet them with a smile, but she didn't acknowledge them, and hoped they understood. Her whole world had been taken away from her. Every morning, she would wake up with her beloved husband next to her. Those mornings were now gone… A tear ran down her cheek, but she did not wipe it or her puffy eyes and let it drip down her face.

"_Don't tell me to quiet down! I want to know the son of a bitch who did this! I'm going to beat the living hell out of him!"_ Ganju shouted before his sister slapped him across the face.

"And do what? Get yourself killed? Now is not the time for revenge!" Kūkaku yelled at her idiot of a brother before turning back to her other one. She closed her eyes and let out a small sigh of sadness. Despite the tough nature she was displaying, her heart broke when she had received the news. Seeing Kaien lying motionless on the bed and not breathing had hit home for her, and for Ganju. The entire way, she listened to him deny that their brother was dead until they saw the sad and pitiful expressions on many of the shinigami they passed when they reached the fourth division.

Ganju fisted his hands in anger before dropping down on his knees beside the bed his dead brother rested upon. His hands gripped the sheets as if to hold on for dear life and simply shook his head. Kūkaku stared down at him before eyeing her sister-in-law. The woman hadn't moved or said anything the entire time. She knew the kind-hearted woman was grieving and knew how much she had loved her brother. It was the only reason why she didn't try to scare the woman away when Kaien introduced her to the family. He had brought home many girlfriends before, but none of them were good enough for her brother. At least not until he brought home Miyako. The woman was determined to stand by him no matter what and proved herself in Kukaku's eyes of being worthy. Even now, she did not leave his side.

With one last sigh, she sat down on the other side of Kaien's bed and held his hand in hers, praying that wherever he maybe, he is in peace.

**Later that night…**

A stuffed animal sat on top of the building where all the seated officers slept right outside Ichigo's window. He had sneaked into the Seireitei only the day before after listening to the instructions Urahara had given him. He was to keep an eye on Ichigo Kurosaki and report any strange activity or news that he found. However, it wasn't hard to find out news with everyone in the division gossiping about what had happened to the lieutenant from the thirteenth division.

"Yes?" The mod soul heard Urahara say over the link he was given. He had been waiting for five minutes for the former captain to respond to him and had finally connected.

"Sir, I have located Ichigo Kurosaki and he is currently residing in his room. I have also found out he has recently returned home from a mission locating hollows that reside in the Rukongai. They say that the thirteenth division lieutenant was killed and I thought it would be information you would wish to hear," the mod soul stated and heard the other line go quiet.

In his shop, Kisuke lowered his head so that his hat was covering his already shaded eyes. He had not been expecting this news and glanced over at his companion who had frozen.

"What?" Yoruichi asked, slightly shocked. Kaien couldn't be dead! She had only contacted him days ago before he went on his mission. He was one of the most skilled lieutenants in the Gotei 13; there was no way a mere hollow could have taken him out…unless.

"Aizen," she cursed and punched the floor below her, creating a dent and leaving her fingers throbbing. The madman must have set the whole thing up and planted those hollows there. She clenched her fingers into the board before standing up and flash stepping out of the room, wanting to be alone.

Urahara simply shook his head and slowly took his hat off. How many more would die before this ended, and worse, if Aizen succeeded.

* * *

A/N: I was looking through my notes and realized I had changed part of the plot without realizing it, but it actually works out better with how it is now. Originally Renji had seen Ichigo's bankai and that started a mess for the next few chapters, but that has been cutAnd then I was having problems with this chapter and kept deleting it (one of the versions I gave Aizen a back-story, but didn't like it so it is deleted). Once again sorry for the late update and I'll try to get back to the routine of every week, especially with the chapters that are coming up that are my personal favorite in the story!

I'm willing to share what my inspiration for this fic is: Angels by Within Temptation, kinda fitting considering the direction the fic will be turning within a few chapters.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and please review!


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